Gold Coast City Council plans property buyback scheme for low-lying Currumbin houses

A “cluster” of houses on a Gold Coast street are being targeted by the Council as part of a property buyback scheme. FIND OUT WHY

Low-lying houses on a Currumbin street are being targeted by Gold Coast City Council as part of a property buyback scheme to get rid of frequently flooded buildings.

Up to 12 properties on the unnamed street have been earmarked for purchase in the scheme, which already has funding set aside in the council budget.

Speaking after more than 100m of rain fell on the suburb on Wednesday night and Thursday morning, Mayor Tom Tate said the plan would take time to roll out.

“There was flooding that occurred in the normal areas but it is clear we dodged a bullet again, though this does not mean we do not need to be ready,” he said.

Aerial view of Currumbin

“Currumbin was hit by 100m and there were road closures, but at the same time we are now looking at really low-lying areas with the houses which are getting flooded.

“We are now negotiating to see whether we can go ahead and get them to relocate by making a fair offer — buy the house and land so they can have enough money to relocate out of the area.

“The option would be to turn it into parkland so that if it floods it doesn’t matter too much.

“I know that moving away from a home you’ve been in for years is tough because you have emotional ties but we want to give them an exit option.

Low-lying areas of Currumbin have flooded frequently in the past.

“If you have been flooded you can call the council and we can get a valuer down there to have a look.”

Similar schemes have been undertaken in Lismore and northern NSW where low-lying properties have been repeatedly flooded.

Mr Tate declined to name the street being targeted for privacy reasons but said it had been inundated several times.

The mayor also declined to nominate how much money the council would offer, saying it would inflate prices.

He pointed to the increasingly high insurance premiums paid by residents whose houses keep getting flooded.

Mr Tate said his preference was to buy the houses en-masse rather than piecemeal, although he said the process would likely take several years to complete.

“What would be best for the community would be to buy a whole cluster of homes which are near together so we can do something with it,” he said.

“If you only buy one and another stays it ends up like a rotten tooth – you can’t do anything with it.

“We’re not going to push people out but we will be guided by the residents so they have an exit strategy.

“Given house prices it may be you can’t stay in the area but downsizing isn’t a bad idea.”

Originally published as Gold Coast City Council plans property buyback scheme for low-lying Currumbin houses