Paul Weston opinion: Retiring on the Gold Coast difficult as city experiences population boom

What is your dream when you retire on the Gold Coast? Most hope their garden only changes with the seasons and their suburb stays the same. The black cloud is population growth, writes Paul Weston.

WHAT is your dream when you retire on the Gold Coast? Most hope their garden only changes with the seasons and their suburb stays the same. The black cloud is population growth.

The city council has been surveying hinterland rural residents, asking would they accept higher densities in their green patch next to the Pacific Motorway.

Latest Treasury figures show the city will increase by 14,600 people annually for the next 25 years. The Palaszczuk Government’s South East Regional Plan requires 158,900 extra dwellings here by 2041.

So at Mudgeeraba, Parkwood and Oxenford, the council is launching investigation sites.

An aerial showing the Mudgeeraba Investigation Area.

The options are these: all new growth must be absorbed at greenfield sites in the north; or in more high-rises at Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.

How did Mudgeeraba residents respond to the plan for between 328 and 504 extra dwellings? It is on hold because 64 per cent of property owners were opposed.

The “live polling” by consultant Articulous offers a much bigger picture about Gold Coast retirees.

Asked about the benefits of redevelopment, only 13 per cent thought it would create “better infrastructure, roads, connect to sewer”. At least 52 per cent had concerns about “crime and safety, noise and dust, traffic and parking”.

What were the biggest threats? “Scumbags moving in,” one resident replied. “Break ins and crime, traffic, increased insurance, loss of culture and history, making change without consideration to local families.”

At Pimpama, the fastest growing suburb in the city’s north, veteran developer Norm Rix has offered to build “on commercial terms” a railway station by his shopping centre to ease traffic gridlock, rather than wait for the State Government to deliver it in 2023.

The block of land next to Pimpama City shopping centre which developer Norm Rix wants to put a train station on. Picture: Glenn Hampson.

Pimpama residents must use the Ormeau station to the north or the Coomera station to their south. Commuters arriving at full car parks in peak hour are being fined for parking nearby on the grass.

Coomera MP Michael Crandon wants the fines waived. Inside and outside of parliament, he and Transport Minister Mark Bailey are banging heads about who is to blame.

Mr Bailey makes a strong case that when Campbell Newman was premier, the LNP did not upgrade the M1.

But Mr Crandon, in a text, says: “Bailey still talks rubbish about the LNP in government. We planned and delivered 93 additional train services on the Gold Coast line — 35 in peak times, putting an end to the term Bombay Express.”

This debate rages on and on as we head to a state and then council budget. Meanwhile, residents from Pimpama to Mudgeeraba live daily with the infrastructure lag. What is a real solution?

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Traffic congestion at Mudgeeraba Creek bridge on the M1. Photo: David Clark.

Back at Mudgeeraba, area councillor Glenn Tozer says to bust congestion, the council must not just increase its transport budget annually but the proportional amount, say from 28 per cent of capital works to 31 per cent.

Smart city administrators agree. At pinch points, the hospital, police, schools and roads budget needs more than an increase — a budget must deliver a proportional increase.

Many Mudgeeraba residents spoke about “spending time growing our own fruit and veges” and “listening to the birds in the morning while doing yoga”.

“Riding off into the sunset with my new mega-wealthy partner. Any takers?” a resident wrote.

Riding off in a horse and cart, like the old days. Much faster unless our roads are fixed.