Coomera Quarter: Billionaire Bob Ell demands Meaghan Scanlon intervention after green light for other giant developments

Billionaire developer Bob Ell has demanded Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon intervene to help secure a green light for a giant housing development. FIND OUT MORE

Billionaire developer Bob Ell has demanded Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon intervene to help secure a green light for a giant housing development in Coomera.

Mr Ell wants to build more than 4000 homes on a 161ha site fronting George Alexander Way and Cunningham Dr.

However the project, which has already been ticked off by the council and state, is stalled awaiting federal government environmental approvals.

Bob Ell

Mr Ell says Ms Scanlon should pick up the phone and call her colleagues in federal Labor and fast-track the project, pointing to two recent interventions on behalf of other developers.

“I have read with interest about the state’s intervention, for projects at the Arundel Golf Course and now also the Robina flood-plain project with Walker Corporation (and) they both seem to have been accelerated under the banner of providing affordable housing thresholds through a state facilitated process,” he wrote.

Meaghan Scanlon at Outriggers drive reserve in Robina. Pic Annette Dew

“Both those projects were originally rejected or conditioned for substantially less dwellings by the City of Gold Coast, (so) if mandating affordable housing, would be the catalyst for you to pick up the phone to your party colleagues in Canberra in order to encourage them to advance our EPBC matters, then we are happy to go on the record to do that.

“As both Minister for Housing and Minister for Planning, this seems like an easy call to make.

“The project is a stated key catalyst for increasing housing supply on the northern Gold Coast, and can proceed immediately on receipt of EPBC approvals.

“It is a win-win position for all parties concerned, and accelerates the delivery of housing into a market that isn’t providing enough of it.

Artist impression of proposed Breakwater Robina development at Robina. Picture: Supplied

“Given the already approved and shovel ready status of the Coomera project, it seems that having an open discussion together about how best to advance it has been off the table to date.”

Ms Scanlon this week gave the green light to the $1.2bn Breakwater Robina project which will create 2750 dwellings with 15 per cent to be “affordable”.

She also recently ticked off a controversial redevelopment of the Arundel Hills Country Club site, creating a further 650 homes.

Map of Coomera Quarter, a 161ha site on the Gold Coast which is owned by developer Bob Ell and LEDA Group.

Ms Scanlon said the Coomera project was out of her hands.

“I have intervened in projects where I have clear ministerial powers to get more affordable housing moving for our city, which the Gold Coast absolutely needs,” she said.

“The site of this development triggers Matters of National Environmental Significance and requires Commonwealth Government approval under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), a process that I do not have any influence over.”

Mr Ell’s site, known as Coomera Quarter, sits between Coomera Rivers State School and the heavy rail line, south of Pimpama State Secondary College.

Once completed, it could house up to 10,000 people.

An Environment Department spokeswoman previously said Mr Ell’s project “requires assessment and approval under national environment law due to significant impacts on matters of national environmental significance, including koalas”.