Why we need to bring back the Local Area Plans concept to give residents more of a voice

While many community activists call themselves anti-light rail, they’re really fighting a bigger problem. And there might be another solution, writes Ann Wason Moore.

It sounds like a joke: a town planner, a pro-light rail journalist and two community activists walk into a Palm Beach restaurant …

But it sure didn’t feel like a laughing matter as I drove over Tallebudgera Creek, involuntarily ducking in case of those infamous tomatoes.

Instead, what I copped was a truly delightful three-hour session of eating, drinking, laughing and talking.

Not a cross word was spoken as the four of us, from opposite sides of the literal tracks, listened without prejudice and spoke with kindness, ultimately realising that we have one huge thing in common: love for our city.

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On one side of the table (and the issue) was myself and town planner Matthew Schneider (living up to his “Mr Everywhere” nickname), and on the other was community activist and businesswoman Nicolle Archer (of the infamous “blowing kisses to the mayor” photo) and Wayne Purcell, a community advocate for better planning.

Despite the humour that flavoured the occasion, there were some tense moments.

I had to voice my opinion, backed by Matthew, that I truly don’t see any possibility for the light rail not to be taken all the way to the airport.

The Palm Beach crew: Wayne Purcell, Matt Schneider, Ann Wason Moore and Nicolle Archer.

Let’s be real, after spending all this money and time building a transportation network to Burleigh, is the government really going to leave it dangling? Whether this system was ultimately the right or wrong choice for the city is moot … because it’s already here.

And, to be brutally honest, a track straight down the Gold Coast Hwy through Palm Beach is the preferred route for a reason.

After all, the city is built on the spine of the beaches – that’s literally what puts the Coast in our name. Sure, people live further out west for better affordability or if they want more space or peace and quiet, but the lifeblood of our city’s economy is along the beach, it’s where tourists and locals want to be.

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We want to explore all the village gems – the cafes, the parks, the waves – that make our city a sparkling piece of jewellery. Electric buses are great to move people from west to east, but it’s the north/south route that does the heavy lifting and deserves the built infrastructure.

Did I convince my table mates? Probably not.

To be fair, Wayne is not necessarily anti-rail, he just wants to ensure there is proper community consultation and transparency regarding the process.

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Regardless, my point was not to tell them that their passion and their opinion is invalid (because it most certainly is not), but to ask whether those who are so vehemently opposed to the light rail are really making the best use of their impressive energies engaging in a doomed fight.

Indeed, it was proposed maybe it was time to stop focusing on something people don’t want and instead fighting for something that they do. And that’s when we all found something we really agree on: neighbourhood plans.

The Gold Coast City Council used to divide parts of the city into special planning units with unique characteristics for the purposes of land use and development control.

A G:link tram in Southport. Picture: Mike Batterham.

These were called Local Area Plans (LAP), and they protected the very elements that made a suburb special.

Alas, with every suburb demanding their own, LAPs were crushed by their own popularity – cut out because of the red tape they created.

But now is an opportunity to take the best of these old LAPs and redevelop them into something for the next generation – a Neighbourhood Plan. Think of it almost as a heritage listing for suburbs central to the character of the city – they don’t exclude development, but they demand that it be in keeping with the area. And you only get one if you’re truly special.

This is exactly what the people of Palm Beach have been crying out for. While many community activists call themselves anti-light rail, what they’re really opposing is the overdevelopment they fear the tram will bring.

The light rail path through Burleigh and Palm Beach as originally proposed in the GCC consultation. PHOTO: Supplied

So instead of fighting against the light rail, what they need to fight for is a Neighbourhood Plan. If the rail comes, then so too must the plan. It’s an idea that already has the support of City of Gold Coast planning director Alisha Swain.

Best of all, the process for preparing Neighbourhood Plans starts with community consultation and then becomes a planning process – it’s driven by residents from the start. And this goes to the heart of our citywide argument over light rail – people feel excluded from the conversation about the future of their own home town. Exclusion creates fear, which creates anger … and here we are, no longer able to hear anyone’s message for the screaming of the messenger.

If we bring in Neighbourhood Plans we can have the best of both worlds – a public transportation system that connects us and a piece of planning that protects us.

Just as our light rail lunch proved, when it comes to the success of the city, it really does take a (town-planned) village.