The Interview: Cr Mark Hammel on Gold Coast's housing and population emergency

It’s just weeks before Councillor Mark Hammel steps up as the Gold Coast’s new deputy mayor - what makes him tick and what are his plans for the city. READ THE INTERVIEW

This is set to become a baptism by fire … or perhaps flooding rains.

Just weeks before Councillor Mark Hammel steps up as the Gold Coast’s new deputy mayor, whose responsibilities include disaster management, the city faces its worst weather threat in almost a century.

But the City of Gold Coast Division 1 representative, who entered local government just five years ago, is not afraid of a massive challenge.

After all, he’s already chair of the City Planning Committee.

While this interview was conducted before Tropical Cyclone Alfred was even a blip on the radar, Cr Hammel’s vision for the city might become more important than ever as the Gold Coast seeks to protect itself against future challenges, whether that takes the shape of enormous growth or natural disasters.

And while the effects of the latter are yet to be fully realised, the city is already struggling under the former … but Cr Hammel is a man with a plan.

Man with a plan: Cr Mark Hammel talks about his vision for the town plan and stepping into role of Deputy Mayor. Picture Glenn Hampson

One year after City Plan reforms that would have reduced high rise towers in coastal suburbs were dumped after disagreement with the previous state government, Cr Hammel said there was no more time to waste.

“We spent seven years, millions of dollars, thousands of hours of council officer time and tens of thousands of community time on a series of amendments that led to no changes and have probably actually decreased supply because of the resulting lack of action and lack of clarity,” said Cr Hammel.

“We have made a public commitment to have the new planning scheme ready by the end of 2027.

“I’ll be meeting with the new government very soon to get them on board with that timeframe, but we’re already well underway.

“Over the last year we have been working on the Local Growth Management Strategy (LGMS) … it’s not a survey on GC Have Your Say, we have done demographics and deep consultative work.

“We don’t want to scare people with the big numbers of a million residents by the 2040s and the need for 165,000 dwellings, but we need to talk about the opportunities that come with this challenge. The opportunity of better public transport, better parks, more libraries and community centres, better connected suburbs with active links and better bicycle ways.

“We can do a much better job of not just communicating this message but listening to feedback, as well.”

Cr Hammel said while the City Plan would not be completed until the end of 2027, he hoped to implement a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) along the route of the light rail infrastructure in order to immediately unlock potential housing supply.

He said he hoped to resurrect one of the key components of the previous City Plan amendments, the Neighbourhood Framework plans developed around each of the light rail stage three stations. He said these plans demonstrated there was the potential for 14,000 dwellings to be added over the next 20 years.

Work on the Light Rail at Nobbys Beach continues. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“The Neighbourhood Framework planning that happened was kind of the beta testing of LGMS and was received really well by the communities. Residents could see their input was reflected in the plan and it allowed each neighbourhood to retain and build on its character,” he said.

“Annoyingly, when major amendments package two and three were dropped by the State Government, it failed to get anywhere.

“So we’re using that now as a blueprint and a reason as to why we could get a TLPI going on the light rail corridor. A TLPI can be used in case of an emergency – and the city’s need for new dwellings is an emergency.

“We’ll be re-presenting this work to the new state government to see what their appetite is for exploring this because we’ve got some very big sites along that light rail corridor that could take more dwellings in the right locations.

“Do we want to wait until 2027 for a new planning scheme, then wait for DAs to be lodged and approved, to lock down builders? It could be five or six years before you actually see dwelling supply occur.

“Or do we make a bold decision, acknowledge this corridor can take more dwellings and look to do a TLPI to expedite that and get dwelling supply moving quicker?”

While some have referred to the Councillor as ‘high-rise Hammel’, he insisted that was far from his objective under the new City Plan or any prospective TLPI.

Instead, he said he was seeking to build the ‘missing middle’, higher density dwellings with lower height and a lower price point.

He said high-rise towers were too expensive for both developers and buyers to be considered as a solid source of housing supply.

“Under the current planning scheme, too much of the focus is on high-rise development. It envisages way too many unit towers that we know are not going to happen because it’s too much risk for a developer,” he said.

“Too much of the unit development in the coastal strip has been concentrated on the oceanfront and it’s very high-end product, it’s not missing middle stock.

“What we haven’t seen is much tower development on the Gold Coast Highway and especially not much development on the western side of the Gold Coast Highway.

Cranes hover over Broadbeach Mermaid neighbourhoods as the construction boom on the Gold Goast shows no signs of slowing down. Picture: Glenn Hampson

“I sit with landowners and applicants regularly and I am seeing the applications they would like to lodge in that corridor and, especially on the western side of the Gold Coast Highway, they are not $5 million units. It’s product in a price range that more people will be able to afford.

“I’d also like to see a relaxation of the current rules around duplexes, right now it’s very restrictive, but this is a critical part of the way forward.

“If we can have more blocks where you can knock the current house down and put a 3-storey duplex up, you’ll still have very high quality four-bed/two-bath dwellings in a great place to live and you’ve doubled the supply.

“We need supply to bring the price down across the city. Too many people have been forced to pull their kids out of school and leave the Gold Coast because they simply cannot afford to rent in the area anymore – I’m seeing that just in Pimpama.

“This is Australia’s city of opportunity – and that opportunity must include the ability to afford to rent or buy here.”

With his own family first arriving on the Gold Coast from Prussia, now northern Germany, in the 1860s to begin sugar cane farming, Cr Hammel said he had witnessed first-hand how the city had changed.

He said that personal experience helped him communicate with other residents who were concerned about continued growth, although he said he wasn’t afraid to have tough conversations with those who weren’t prepared to adapt with the times.

“I went to a meeting in Palm Beach and it was suggested to me I just didn’t understand the change and development that was happening there,” he said.

“I pointed out to them that I represent Ormeau, Pimpama and Yatala where I’ve seen tens of thousands of acres of dairy farms and forested areas taken down for houses.

“I understand what development looks like, my family lived it. My father was ready to leave once the first traffic light went in on Stapylton Road, but he stayed and he’s seen his family reap the rewards.

“My family has seen their 150-plus years of history in their neighbourhood change – there’s less farming, there’s less rural blocks, but you can either dwell on the past or you can respect the past and look to the future.

“It’s okay to acknowledge that change is hard, you’re allowed to be nostalgic, but don’t forget that something better is coming.

“That’s why I’m not afraid to have these conversations. But I also think we’ll do a much better job of explaining the opportunities of better amenities that come with the challenges of growth than has been done previously.

“It’s not going to be a one-way conversation saying your suburb is going to take more people and more dwellings, it will be a conversation.”

A central Southport site on Scarborough Street, which has long been owned by developer ASF Group and was earmarked for a giant gold tower development The AU, is on the market from Canford Estate Agents. Picture: Supplied

Cr Hammel said he already knew his toughest conversations would include those that discussed the future of public transportation.

He said he was adamant that light rail should continue to the Gold Coast Airport, as should heavy rail, that the Oceanway should be built and that focus should turn to building east-west links.

“The point here is trying to develop the ultimate public transport network to serve our city for the next 100 years.

“Critics can argue about trackless trams and electric buses but I am very much a man driven by data and evidence. When I have experts in public transport and engineers in that field saying that all the modelling shows that no bus solution can offer the same capacity and the same efficiency as light rail built as the spine of our public transport network, I rely on that.

“Until I see evidence that says otherwise, I’ll continue to support light rail to the airport.

“But I would love to get on with seeing those east-west links open up because we are missing so many opportunities with all of this argument over every inch.

“Let’s finish that spine and then we can have a chat about an east-west metro-style bus system which runs in its own lane with its own dedicated stops, like the FAST system in Liverpool CBD.

“Let’s also look at the greenlinks we have, the cycleways and walkways. The Oceanway has to be built, but let’s not stop there. Let’s link it to other parts of the city, that’s the ultimate vision I have in my head – a city fully connected.”

Indeed, Cr Hammel said no part of the city has been spared his attention, particularly Southport.

He said he aimed to unlock the future potential of the suburb – which could include redirecting the Gold Coast Highway underground to better access the Broadwater Parklands.

“The framework of Southport’s PDA (Priority Development Area) isn’t the problem, what’s lacking is a vision for Southport,” he said.

“The masterplan isn’t necessarily about where we plant street trees or building facades, it’s an economic masterplan and a visionary document so that someone looking to invest in Southport can understand what our desire is.

“We need to take a precinct approach and break the suburb up into smaller chunks that are still inside the PDA, so you can build that narrative around what Southport is, and then we need to be prepared to partner with the right people.

“We can’t look at one tower at a time, we need to partner with interstate and international developers who are prepared to take on entire blocks, like Parramatta Square. We can’t be afraid to think big.

“In the current PDA, there’s nothing to explain Southport’s connection to the Broadwater Parklands, a magnificent asset just sitting there with the Highway right in the guts of it. So let’s put that highway underground.

“We’ve got the arena discussion going on already, which is focused on a much smaller area, but if you incorporate the greater parklands and the Carey Park precinct, why can’t it be a Southbank-style development? Put the highway under and any parking we lose can go underground as well.

“The outcomes it would provide not just to Southport residents but for the entire city would be just astronomical.”

It’s Cr Hammel’s ability to think big that has him most excited to tackle the new role of deputy mayor.

He said he was grateful to current deputy mayor Cr Donna Gates for the opportunity, and said she was his inspiration to first run for local government.

“The opportunity to become planning chair came sooner than I expected but it allowed me to show my vision for the city a little bit and so when the Mayor made it clear he wanted to start a transition to some of the younger councillors, Cr Gates absolutely had my back.

“To step into her shoes after 12 years is a big responsibility … she has tiny shoes but they carry a big kick.

“I’m looking forward to leaning into all of the services and amenities the council provides and also ensuring that the mayor has an understanding of how all of council is feeling about certain issues, being a kind of conduit. But also supporting my colleagues in their visions for their own areas.

“How do we take individual councillor’s visions for their own areas and stitch that together and line it up with the whole-of-city policies?”

Cr Mark Hammel talks about his vision for the town plan and stepping into role of Deputy Mayor. Picture Glenn Hampson

While Cr Hammel still lives on his same family farm, which grows sweet potatoes and strawberries now, with his wife and their two sons, as well as his parents nearby, he said it was a privilege to continue building the city’s future.

“Coming into council in 2020 when (former CEO) Dale Dickson was still there, it has changed enormously. And there was a need to modernise the organisation because we are not a council from the 1970s, 80s or 90s, we are like a mini-state government.

“We accepted the change and that’s what residents need to do as well. Growth can be challenging but you can’t close the city.

“I’ve seen too many people who had to leave this city because they couldn't afford it, so I’m prepared to show some spine and make some difficult decisions.

“My job is not to make the easy decisions so I can win the next election. I want the city to win.”

Come rain or shine, Cr Hammel is ready to achieve his Gold Coast game plan.

Originally published as The Interview: Cr Mark Hammel on Gold Coast's housing and population emergency