Conservation groups raise concerns over Gold Coast City Council lack of spending of open space levy

COMMUNITY groups are concerned over the Gold Coast City Council’s lack of recent acquisitions through its open space levy program

Community groups are concerned over the lack of acquisitions from the open space levy program and the sale of council land to help fund the $37.5 million redevelopment of the Gold Coast Cultural Precinct at Evandale

GOLD Coast City Council has bought no land since 2012 as green space for conservation and ratepayers’ recreational use — despite huge population growth.

Council declined to disclose the unused balance of the Open Space Preservation Levy with a spokesman stating it would be inappropriate until councillors had been notified during Special Budget committee meetings next week.

To add to the city’s shrinking green footprint, council has sold off 10 pocket parks and other public spaces since June last year with plans to sell another 20 lots of public land.

The sales have occurred at Benowa, Broadbeach Waters, Currumbin Waters, Carrara, Mudgeeraba, Natural Bridge, Oxenford, Pimpama and Surfers Paradise.

They have already yielded nearly $12 million as funding for the first stage of the cultural precinct.

Lois Levy, founder of the Gold Coast Environment Council (GECKO), and Dr Steve Gration, president of the Save Our Spit Alliance, have expressed their outrage.

Ms Levy said the aim of the city’s Open Space Preservation Levy (OSPL) and Acquisition Program, which was funded by ratepayers, was to buy parcels of land while maintaining land already owned by council.

However, she said since 2012, council had not bought any land from this fund for parks or conservation use.

“When we raised this issue with council, we received a response saying they are now using the funding to maintain the land they already have,” Ms Levy said. “This is not what ratepayers pay a levy for and research shows open space is essential for the health and wellbeing of residents.

“Before Tom Tate became mayor, council used this levy as a kind of rolling loan fund so they could buy parcels of land while maintaining the land they already had.”

She said to make matters worse, since the middle of last year, council had sold at least 10 small, pocket parks.

“We have just received detailed information about these pocket park sales and they will be ongoing. A list was provided to us of all the lots designated as parks or council-owned blocks of land, which have been sold or are up for sale,” Ms Levy said.

“Some of them are not terribly useful but if the city’s population doubles by 2041, as predicted, then even these little parks are important for people living in their local neighbourhoods.”

Dr Gration called on Queensland Auditor-General Brendan Worrall to investigate the sales.

“Any misuse of this Open Space Preservation Levy for solely maintenance instead of acquisitions should be investigated,” he said.

“In other states, the Auditor-General has the capacity to step in to look at the books of councils and to dismiss them on the basis of what he perceives is misuse of ratepayers’ funds.

“The time has come for this to be carried out in Queensland and I hope Mr Worrall has the same power to go over council’s books in relation to the misuse of the Open Space Preservation Levy and asset sales such as our pocket parks,” Mr Gration said.

However, council defended its use of the levy with a spokesperson saying just because it had not purchased land for some time does not mean it wasn’t looking for strategic parcels to add to the city’s open space.

“This program is not about buying any land at any cost, so until these parcels become available, we are using the funds to open up our existing open space,” they said.

“To do this we are clearing the land of weeds, creating walking trails and ensuring everyone who owns the land (ratepayers) have access to it. Buying land and leaving it locked up is not sensible. The new trails give everyone a nature-based experience.”

They said funds raised from public space sold was surplus to council requirements and funds raised were being used for the construction of a world-class cultural precinct.

“By selling land excess to our needs means we don’t need to borrow money to build the cultural precinct. That is a saving for ratepayers.”