Revealed: Robina roads and infrastructure 10 years behind as influx kicks in

One of the city’s most planned suburbs is tipped to grind to a halt - find out why.

The city’s most planned suburb is a decade-plus behind on building new roads as planning starts on an Athletes Village for the 2032 Olympic Games.

The warning from area councillor Herman Vorster highlights roading projects needed “today” not after the Games: “There are a number of multi-million dollar road projects which in my view are required today including the Laver Drive Robina Parkway intersection at a $35 million cost,” he told the City’s planning committee.

“It’s actually planned to be delivered in 2031, I reckon the need is there today. We should be making the case to the State Government they should be supporting the bringing forward of those.

“The Rocket intersection was two weeks from breaking ground for redesign and upgrade. This council had to pull the pin and redesign it.

“It should have been delivered three years ago. We are only going to break ground at the end of this financial year due to the Olympic Games.”

City officers in an alarming report about Robina warn the existing development agreement provides infrastructure for only an extra 23,000 people – all to be built by 2041. But there are fears the population will explode beyond that given the Village site size.

The Athletes Village will accommodate 2600 athletes and team officials within 500 dwellings in a mix of medium density apartments and townhouses during Games. But councillors now fear it will spark even more development pressures.

Councillor Hermann Vorster said the Government could deliver a development outcome for the entire 10ha site which would need to be performance managed based on infrastructure needs.

“It might be that the Athletes Village is used as a Trojan horse to secure some other higher development outcomes on the balance of the site to support the State Government’s principle commercial asset in the precinct, the Robina Town Centre.”

The City’s current Robina central planning review will be an audit on what is needed.

City officers in an updated report said a “transport infrastructure deficit” was discovered for Robina Central as early as June 2018

The residential population was estimated to be 7200 in 2016 but expected to grow to 92,000 by 2050 including 40,000 workers.

Officers told the City planning committee the Village post-Games would transition to provide additional residential accommodation and mixed-use commercial development.

Cr Vorster gained unanimous support from colleagues for the Mayor Tom Tate to write Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk.

He has asked the “State Government deliver or provide funding towards those transport infrastructure projects” related to the Games.

“If we don’t ask and make the case I hope for, we won’t receive,” he said.

Officers expect the Government would provide detailed planning on The Village by 2024-25 when the council had assessed transport needs through its audit.

Cr Hermann Vorster — asking the State to help improve roads. Picture: Jerad Williams.

It was revealed Premier Palaszczuk has written to council detailing how The Village would deliver much needed housing supply to Australia’s fastest growing region.

“The dwellings required for this Olympic Village are only a small part of a much larger urban development with significant ongoing investment from the private sector,” she wrote.

Cr Vorster told the committee the Premier’s undertaking in that letter was “quite at odds with what the land owners, the Queensland Investment Corporation, had told him”.

“They have indicated to me they’re not quite settled on what the development outcomes might be,” he said.

“It could be that we won’t end up with 500 dwellings that people can purchase to live in or necessarily rent, It could be aged care, which I would welcome,” he said.

“I don’t think QIC and Premier necessarily are on the same page.”

The mapped area for The Village was “much more expansive than just the four towers proposed for the Village”.

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