Potential changes to the Arundel Hills Country Club redevelopment plans
Plans for the Arundel Hills Country Club redevelopment will include a retail area on the ground floor. Check out what else is planned
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State plans for the Arundel Hills Country Club redevelopment will include a retail area on the ground floor of proposed medium density buildings which can be as high as six storeys.
The developer can go higher but it would make the project “impact assessable” where council would consider it under the City Plan, along with submissions from residents.
Government planners, in reassessing the golf club development after Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon applied a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI), want to reduce local traffic impact by allowing retail on the site.
Ms Scanlon on Monday released the initial mapping showing various precincts which break up residential areas on the land with open space along with conservation.
These potential changes mean:
* Fairways residential in precinct 1 is low density providing for 190 dwellings, with a minimum height of one storey – it becomes “impact assessable” for higher than three levels.
* Parkview residential in precinct 2a is medium density, providing a minimum of 173 dwellings, with lowest height of two storeys – more than six becomes “impact assessable”.
* Parkview residential precinct 2b is medium density, allowing for a minimum 287 dwellings with lowest height of two storeys – more than six requires impact assessment.
No maximum heights are set for impact assessable application, the government confirmed. But under the accepted City development code the building must ensure “integration with surrounding areas” and “support gentle density development throughout” the site.
Gold Coast City Council is yet to comment until its planners see more details.
But Bonney LNP MP Sam O’Connor and an Arundel community group are opposed.
Arundel Hills Community Association president Jason Young described the proposal as “awful” and indicated his group would ask for the TLPI to be repealed if the LNP win government at the October state poll.
“This is an absolutely awful draft proposal for this TLPI,” Mr Young said.
“Meaghan Scanlon is completely ignoring the residents and all Gold Coast City Councillors and Mayor Tom Tate.
“The destruction of the green and sports and recreation area is basically exactly the same as the original development application but made worse by increasing the housing density.
“We will yet again be mobilising our Association and sending our objections to the Minister’s office. This TLPI can be repealed – bring on a new Minister in October.”
The plans released by Ms Scanlon show 650 homes on the 67ha site – double the amount planned by the developer – of which one fifth will be “affordable” housing.
“The development code that we are proposing will incorporate a ground floor shops, food and drink outlets and health care services integrated in the design,” a government source said.
State planners are aware of potential traffic impacts and want residents to either be able to stay and shop in the precinct or use public transport including a bus stop only 500m away.
Mr O’Connor on his Facebook page posted the map released by Ms Scanlon and the original plan by developers which was unanimously rejected by council.
“The footprint has barely moved,” Mr O’Connor wrote.
“Some very small sections have been added to the green corridors but the main change is higher density has been put over a lot of the site. The development is not being constrained to the existing hardstand area where the clubhouse is.
“It makes the state government’s plan a worse outcome for Arundel than what even the original developer was proposing. They are ignoring our council and our community.
“This is unnecessary overreach from a State Government desperate to look like they’re fixing the housing crisis they created.
“I know this will be the third time locals have been asked for their views on this site in the last year or so but it’s important to get this feedback on the record.”
A resident on Mr O’Connor’s page described the plans as “an absolute disgrace”.
The government is not required to consult on an TLPI but is allowing ten days for feedback.
First look: Giant development planned for Arundel golf club
The state government wants almost double the amount of homes in a proposed housing estate at the Arundel Hills Country Club, with at least a fifth of the accommodation to be “affordable housing”, new plans reveal.
Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon on Monday is to release a map showing a proposed 650 homes on the disused 67-hectare site to meet the growing demand for housing and public space.
The Bulletin in an exclusive report on the Gold Coast’s biggest community development row can detail how the site will be broken up into precincts. This will kick off public consultation.
Mapping shows much of the golf course on the eastern side will be retained as open space protecting wildlife – and the north sectioned off for sports and recreation.
The western side along Arundel Drive is protected by a green strip, with the hardstand areas already developed becoming a red zone for medium density housing.
Ms Scanlon had intervened after the state considered a planned $150 million development for 368 homes on the disused golf course was not an efficient or effective use of the prime site.
The Gaven MP has pushed forward with the rare ministerial powers to make a call on the site as new data shows Gold Coast residential approvals declined in 2023 with 4773 residential dwellings approved for construction – a 16 per cent drop from 2022.
“The Gold Coast needs more houses. The city has enough golf courses – what we
need is more homes for key workers,” Ms Scanlon said.
“This is a sensible solution to use this abandoned golf course and create a
neighbourhood with a smaller development footprint that includes affordable
housing, maximises green space and koala protection as part of the redesign.
“This Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) means the City of Gold Coast can move
forward with a blueprint of affordable housing and a thriving community.”
Key changes to the developer’s original plans provided in the TLPI update reveal:
* Almost doubling the number of homes by allowing a minimum of 650 homes on the site.
* The site is divided into five precincts including two for residential development
areas for homes, duplexes, townhouses, and units.
* The third precinct will be preserved for public access, sport, and recreation and the
fourth open space.
* The final precinct will be for wildlife conservation and is be rehabilitated to
promote safe koala movement and habitat protection.
* Consultation is for 10 business days, commencing from when letters and notices are sent to stakeholders, with submissions to be provided to the department.
The government says the Coast’s population is growing rapidly but residential approvals are failing to keep pace with council approval rates dropping 16 per cent in 2023.
Regional growth, changes in lifestyle and household structures continue to create
demand for greater housing diversity and affordability with an increasing proportion
of older singles, single parent families and other mixed families.
The government considers the Arundel site is ideal for housing – close to shops, school and key infrastructure including public transport networks and existing infrastructure.
The Miles government’s housing blueprint – Homes for Queenslanders – aims to build
one million new homes to help ensure every Queenslander has a safe, secure, and
affordable place to call home, Ms Scanlon said.
Several options are open to the developer, including negotiating the TLPI, rejecting it or continuing its appeal in the planning court. The other avenue would be to sell the site.
Residents can visit the Arundel TLPI – Have Your Say web page: Have your say
| Planning (statedevelopment.qld.gov.au).
How the Gold Coast’s biggest community development debate began.
* May 2022: Zhongsheng Management, the company that previously owned and operated the golf club, is placed in external administration. The club is left deserted. The developers Arundel Estate Developments Pty Ltd, lodge a new master plan.
* Early January 2024: The planning application to council receives 1163 objections, most of them from nearby residents who have formed a community group. Only 119 submissions were made in support. Objectors were concerned about impact the amenity of their suburb, on wildlife and loss of critical sporting and recreation land.
But the developer, in a notice of appeal in the planning court, says the development will help fix a significant emerging undersupply of dwellings. Court proceedings continue.
* July 22, 2024: The Bulletin reveals the plans under the TLPI. All stakeholders have 10 business days to respond.
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