Opinion: Is Main Beach losing the battle to stop Q1-size towers and turning into another Surfers Paradise
The Gold Coast’s luxury beachfront suburb at Main Beach is being called a “planning disaster zone” – and residents are stunned at the latest tower twist. HAVE YOUR SAY
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THE Gold Coast’s luxury beachfront suburb at Main Beach is being called a “planning disaster zone”. Residents are “stunned” by council approving a tower bulkier than Q1 on a housing block. They are funding an “action plan” but can they win this war?
The 39-level Masthead building, on Main Beach Parade, will have 30 apartments featuring 91 bedrooms — this will be on a 812sqm site.
Photographs emailed by unit owners from the neighbouring Pintari units show their dilemma. On the edge of their landscaped gardens, will be a massive tower.
“Has council no civic pride or shame,” a resident wrote.
So the future views, for the higher level unit owners, will not be of the ocean. The lower level resident will awake to see their greenery of their landscaped grounds then a wall of units.
Only area councillor Darren Taylor, Nerang’s Peter Young and Palm Beach’s Daphne McDonald supported the residents.
From the perspective of many other experienced councillors — they share a different view.
To not approve the DA will cause ratepayer money to be wasted in court, they say.
The truth is, some councillors consider high rise residents have no real grounds to oppose more high rise, and they have no desire to support them.
Fair enough, except many older residents worked hard, saved their money for their last home, chose Main Beach because of the big leafy plots around their apartment buildings and retired long before a light rail overlay map allowed for super towers on postage stamp size site.
In November, the Main Beach Association held a private meeting at Pintari with planning consultants and Cr Taylor to discuss how to “stop the clock” on Masthead.
Cr Taylor had agreed to object to the bulk of the DA, which meant instead of a decision being made by delegated authority it would be discussed by councillors at the planning committee.
The planning consultant for residents concluded, under the current City Plan when combining the setbacks and site coverage, that the site supported a building of only 15 storeys.
Despite all these concerns, the DA was a “late item” at the final planning agenda for the year.
Will things change at council? In the New Year, when councillors return, they will consider an amendment package to the City Plan.
Southport councillor Brooke Patterson emailed an updated package which she argues shows her support for changes where there will be impact assessment triggers for these high rises.
The recommendations mean these light rail urban renewal areas and unrestricted site zones will see reviews on site covers, how tall the buildings are and what the setbacks look like.
Residents at the MBA annual meeting on December 15 will put forward their own “planning vision” for their suburb.
Some town planners, because of the overdevelopment, now privately refer to Palm Beach as being “Nerang by the sea”. There are ominous signs here in the north.
John Hicks from ACE Community Alliance, commenting on the planning row, says: “Managed properly the Gold Coast can become a leafy, inviting, world class, subtropical city — a gardens by-the-sea outcome.
“Managed poorly and we risk creating an unattractive Gotham by-the-sea outcome.”
Main Beach could lose its identity and become Surfers Paradise North like Broadbeach has become Surfers Paradise South. The fight here promises traditional New Year’s fireworks.
EARLIER: RESIDENTS TO DEVELOP ‘VISION PLAN’
MAIN Beach residents will develop a “vision plan” for council to save their exclusive suburb from a planning disaster after the stunning approval of a tower bulkier than Q1 on a housing block.
The Main Beach Association is furious after only Darren Taylor, of the new councillors elected in March this year, spoke against approval of 39-level Masthead building in Main Beach Parade.
The tower includes 30 apartments with 91 bedrooms, provides setbacks of only 4m and site coverage of 44.8 per cent on a 812sqm block.
The Bulletin can reveal the MBA at its annual general meeting planned for The Waratah community room on December 15 will put forward a resolution supporting a “Vision Plan for Main Beach”.
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Organisers want to outline all the potential development sites and what will happen if council continues to approve projects like the recent Monaco sky garage tower and Masthead.
Members in a briefing have been told: “We need to convince the Main Beach community that change is inevitable. The community will need to act forcefully. Action, including raising funds, (is needed) to stop Main Beach becoming a planning disaster due to its unlimited height zoning and its location within the Light Rail Urban Renewal Overlay.”
Only Cr Taylor and councillors Peter Young and Daphne McDonald voted against the Masthead project at a full council meeting on Tuesday.
Cr Taylor warned the approval set a precedent “that any block of land, the size of your home block, can have a 30,40, even 50-storey building through Broadbeach, Surfers and Main Beach”.
MBA president Sue Donovan told the Bulletin: The Main Beach Association is astounded that council has approved the 39-storey Masthead tower despite the reservations expressed by council officers.
“It would appear that the officers made no effort to negotiate with the developer to reduce the height to something more acceptable.”
She said she was disappointed councillors did not back Cr Taylor after he spoke on behalf of concerned residents about how approval of the project would be a planning disaster.
“We are particularly disappointed that the majority of younger councillors, who had promised to stand up for the community’s amenity, have swallowed senior councillors’ claim that rejection of these grossly non compliant developments would lead to expensive legal action,” Ms Donovan said.
“Surely it is time for council to call the bluff of developers, who will be even more emboldened by this latest misguided decision.”
EARLIER: MASSIVE TOWER APPROVED
A 39-LEVEL apartment building bulkier than the Q1 has been approved on a tiny housing block in Main Beach.
Area councillor Darren Taylor, who was backed by residents in apartment towers neighbouring the site, fears the decision will open the door to massive towers being built in the exclusive suburb.
The Main Beach Association, which had lobbied councillors to stop the project, predict unlimited height under the City Plan in their suburb along the light rail zone will bring to an end attractive high-rises surrounded by landscaped gardens.
In an address to fellow councillors at a full council meeting at the Evandale Chambers on Tuesday, Cr Taylor said the City Plan was designed to ensure development did not dominate the skyline and contributed to the “sense of place”.
Cr Taylor was the only councillor to speak against the Masthead project in Main Beach Pde which would front some exclusive smaller towers with beachfront views.
“I understand Division 10, my division from Broadbeach to Main Beach, has the challenge of unlimited (height),” he said.
“I’m here to support development, I’m not here against development.
“But I’m here to ensure the development we approve is appropriate for the area.”
Cr Taylor said council officers went back to the applicant after the original proposal was tabled, but there were no changes “even though we have concerns internally”.
“What this is doing, it is setting a precedent that any block of land, the size of your home block, can have a 30, 40, even a 50-storey building through Broadbeach, Surfers and Main Beach.
“Main Beach is a beautiful part of the Gold Coast. It’s not your Broadbeach, your Surfers. It has its own unique feel.
“By approving this today we are setting a precedent to change the feel of that area in Main Beach.
“It means someone can buy a corner block, a small parcel of land, and build these large structures. And it doesn’t give us the ability to ensure we can protect our area.
“I’m just reaching out to other councillors to understand what we are doing here.”
Cr Taylor said the report mentioned concerns from officers, and there was an opportunity “to take a stance on this sort of development”.
Only councillors Peter Young and Daphne McDonald supported his stance. Others feared opposing the project could lead to an expensive and unwinnable legal battle in the planning court.
MEGA TOWER FOR MAIN BEACH
Councillors were asked to “stand up for beachside communities” as protesting residents made a last-minute plea to stop a 39-level tower at Main Beach.
A planning document prepared by consultants for the Main Beach Association (MBA) shows why residents believe the tower planned for Main Beach Parade should be halved in size.
Consultants for residents estimate it is 2.4 times larger than acceptable under the City Plan.
The planning committee previously backed an officers’ recommendation to approve the project, despite residents complaining the apartment building would be bulkier than the Q1 mega tower in Surfers Paradise.
On Monday, MBA president Sue Donovan wrote to councillors: “Tomorrow is the last council meeting for the year — and your last opportunity to stand up for Gold Coast beachside communities whose neighbourhood characters are being systematically destroyed by ill-conceived overdevelopment of tiny residential blocks of land.
“Your vote on the 39-level Masthead development application can send a clear message to the Gold Coast community that while development must be part of its future it will not proceed at any cost.”
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