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25.01.2022 What a relief that the foolish and money wasting projects of the Oceanside cruise terminal and the cableway are not in this year’s budget. Something seems to have bought some sense to Council at last. The big items appears to have something for everyone and are spread from one end of the coast to the other with a focus on much needed community facilities. Not everyone will be happy with funding for Stage 4 (formerly Stage 3b) of the Light Rail and perhaps the devil is in the... detail. Community Alliance member Gecko has requested the release of the un-redacted PwC Business case report for the cruise terminal and will have an answer by 10th July. Now is the time to give Philip Park back to the community and forget cruise terminals forever. Major Projects are listed as: $35.4 million for the completion of the Art Gallery (part of Stage 1 of $130 million Cultural Precinct) $26.9 million community and business support package $8.9 million for planning and delivery of Light Rail Stage 3 $1.75 million for commencement of planning for Light Rail Stage 4 $40.6 million for the new Pimpama Sports Hub, $8.4 million for the renewal of the Miami Aquatic Centre, $2.2 million for the redevelopment of the Palm Beach Aquatic Centre and $4 million to redevelop the Broadbeach Community Precinct. $586,000 for the delivery of the Music Action Plan $8.2 million for design completion and construction of Robina City Parklands $9.3 million for Major Events Gold Coast, the new events body https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-City-Coun https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-City-Coun #ACE

25.01.2022 It seems that the Sunshine Council has recognised that all development is not necessarily good development and that standards of design are necessary to improve this situation. Sunshine Coast Council has produced a a book Sunshine Coast design which can be bought in hardcopy or downloaded free from this link: https://www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au//Sunshine-Coast-Desig. Given the poor examples of building design we are seeing throughout the Gold Coast it would seem it is time... that Gold Coast had a similar book and that it is developed with full public consultation. The good design reflects what the residents of the Sunshine Coast love about their communities. The design principles should now guide future design to: 1. Work with the local climate 2. Create places that respect and incorporate landscape 3. Bring our cultures, arts and heritage to life 4. Capture and frame views and create vistas 5. Strengthen and extend a network of green corridors 6. Be inspired by the natural and built environment 7. Create shady trees that put people first 8. Create welcoming places that people can enjoy 9. Design places to be resilient and ready for change 10. Create and add value. https://theconversation.com/sunshine-coast-shows-the-way-to #ACE

24.01.2022 A prominent letter to the editor in the GC Bulletin 4 September 2020 again raises concerns with the lack of genuine community consultation on the route of the light rail (Sensible alternatives to Gold Coast Hwy tram line available). There is also a lack of transparency around the government’s preference for a route down the Gold Coast Highway from Burleigh, through Palm Beach to the airport and on to Coolangatta. The executive summary of the TMR Gold Coast Highway (Burleigh H...eads to Tugun) Multi-modal Corridor Study states: The study investigated several alternate routes parallel to the Gold Coast Highway and concluded a future southern extension of the light rail should follow the existing highway alignment. The executive summary provides no further detail on the alternate routes and the full report has not been made public. The community therefore has no insight into how alternates such as the one proposed recently in correspondence to the Transport Minister will be evaluated (refer link at bottom). This is not good enough. The Minister and Council need to establish a light rail Community Reference Group asap to provide a forum for effective and transparent dialogue on the future route of light rail Stage 4 and the changes to City Plan to properly manage growth along the corridor. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/LR-concept-Minister. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/MAP-LR-ROUTE4.pdf

24.01.2022 The NSW Government is leading the way with a new policy on providing more green spaces for city residents. The Greener Places policy would be a great one for our Government and Opposition to adopt as we have all seen how important green spaces are to relax and exercise during the COVID shutdown. The policy states that green spaces should be within 200m of high density homes and 400m from schools and workplaces, something our areas of high rise could copy not everyone wants to go to the beach. The article also shows some innovative solutions to retrofitting green spaces in cities overseas. Green spaces and trees equals better physical and mental health worthy policy for any level of government. https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au//nsw-government-releases- #ACE

24.01.2022 Please join us and Community Alliance member Wildlife QLD Gold Coast, at the following important community events focussed on saving Black Swan Lake. 1) While the acre of water and prolific birds and turtles remain, please stand by our Lake by attending site TODAY, Sunday 23 August 10am to 12 noon. Gather at the lakeview point - Ascot Court off Raceourse Drive down the Laneway to the grassed area lake site. ... Please take photos of birds, trees and lake and send to Councillors and media. (COVID-19 distancing will apply on site).This is stilll a huge asset, equivalent to large valued water features in parks and gardens elsewhere. 2) Attend Council at Bundall from 8am, or as soon afterwards as you can, this Tuesday 25th August, to alert Councillors to the fact that we will not stand by and see the last acre of Lake trashed. This still remains unobliterated by fill, for community, after a potential huge 'giveaway' to a Club

23.01.2022 Why is it that Gold Coast residents have to resort to paying large sums of money to professional town planners to bring to the attention of the Council planners and Councillors the failure of a development application to comply with the City Plan? And what are we to make of the statement from Councillor O’Neill that she has sought for the code accessible (sic) application to be determined by a vote of councillors. Does this mean she has little faith in Council planning off...icers to assess fairly or that such decisions should be political or something else? The Flow development proposed for Greenmount is a classic example of how planning application assessment in Council appears to be out of control. Code assessments, 98% of all applications, do not give the right of objection to residents and their only hope for consideration of their concerns are submissions to Council backed by professional planners. Reform of planning assessment is urgently needed at both Council level and in the Planning Act. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/How-new-Flow-tower-a #ACE

22.01.2022 Does this sound familiar?

22.01.2022 The approval of the Flow development at Rainbow Bay, under special delegated authority by Cr Tate, Cr Caldwell - Chair of Planning Committee and Council’s CEO Dale Dickson, has dealt yet another devastating blow to the residential amenity of the Gold Coast community. The local communities objecting to this development, and the Monaco development recently approved for Main Beach, both had support from their local councillors, but to no avail. These decisions have been made pos...sible by flaws in the code assessable provisions of the Planning Act and need to become one of the catalysts for reforms. With the State election only weeks away, this undoubtedly will become an election issue, particularly in marginal electorates. To learn more about the approval of the Flow development, please refer to the following post from our member group Friends of Rainbow Bay: https://www.facebook.com/friendsofrainbowbaysociety/posts/2837905139642504 #ACE See more

22.01.2022 Will Council have the gall to approve this? It's already been given the green light by Cameron Caldwell's planning committee despite objections from the local community that will be impacted by this grossly oversized building. It will create shadows on neighbours for much of the day, and is four times the density of their buildings, 17% of which is due to gimmicky and dangerous "sky garages". Let's hope that respect for the performance outcomes of the City Plan and the local community prevails, and councillors deny this indefensible money-grab by developers.

21.01.2022 Another disgraceful overdevelopment application for twin 22 storey towers on the Burleigh beachfront at 48-58 The Esplanade and First Ave was endorsed by the majority of Councillors on the Planning and Environment Committee. The proposed bulky, over-scaled development has been endorsed with excessive relaxations to City Plan provisions for height, density, setbacks, site cover and landscaping at street level. The development is inconsistent with Council’s own Burleigh Heads P...lace Analysis study and inconsistent with the findings of a Council-commissioned visual amenity impact report. A particular concern here is the alarming preparedness of a majority of Councillors to ignore the reasonable expectations of the community, as reflected in the publicly consulted City Plan, and relax away its provisions to such an extent that they are meaningless. Community Alliance is not anti-development, nor anti-growth. We respectfully call on all residents: Please do not be a bystander contact your local Councillor today and demand they uphold the written intent of your City Plan. Next time the approved development that does not comply might be next door to your home. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Burleigh-twin-towers #ACE

20.01.2022 Great work by Community Alliance member, Residents Against the Oxenford Quarry Expansion, has produced a pleasing result for the environment and people of the area, but as emphasised, the battle is far from over. We congratulate them on achievement of this important milestone and invite you to offer them your support. #ACE

20.01.2022 Sustainability in the built environment? What a contrast between Gold Coast City Council and Brisbane City Council! On the Gold Coast we can’t even get changes to the City Plan for decent landscaping and set backs, while BCC is promoting green and sustainable developments to put the city on the world map. Sustainability in the development industry has never been one of its strong points, but perhaps this might change with Brisbane City Council offering 50% rebate on infrastru...cture charges to developments that meet criteria for sustainability. The first to take up the challenge is a development called Urban Forest that features green walls, roof top gardens, a public park at the bottom of the building, recycled grey water for all the plants and solar panels and Tesla batteries. By contrast the development industry on the Gold Coast is complaining that the few improvements in sustainability proposed in Amendments 2 and 3 to the City Plan would send them broke, even though they would not come into force for at least 18 months. Will the Gold Coast, one of the most beautiful natural areas in the world, end up with an ugly concrete jungle from end to end? https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/How-Brisbane-could-b

19.01.2022 Accountability of our elected representatives is something many of us struggle with as it is the cornerstone of democracy. In this article Rebecca Levingston, ABC journalist, raises the issue of the increasing reluctance of politicians to be interviewed and answer reasonable questions. Those of us engaged in advocacy on behalf of the community have the same problem. This can manifest itself in extremely slow responses to letters or difficulty in getting an appointment with a ...politician and bland uninformative responses from some public servant directed to answer our queries. Ms Levingston also raises the issue of the use of Facebook by politicians to push their views without having to answer any questions or blocking those they deem as annoying. There are a number of threats to democracy around the world and this is one, which may seem harmless, is corrosive of your right to know what decisions are being made in your name. A politician is our representative and need to be reminded of this. https://inqld.com.au//the-insidious-radio-silence-that-is/ #ACE

19.01.2022 Many beachside communities have recently copped flak from Cr Tate and the media for being whingers because they’re objecting to what they don’t want in their neighbourhoods. However, our view is that the majority of these objections relate to developments that negatively impact residential amenity, rather than as a blanket anti-development prejudice, as has been inferred. They have also been accused of failing to speak up and say what they want in their suburbs, yet Counci...l provides no process for this other than a limited opportunity to provide feedback on the drip-fed amendments to the City Plan. The Gold Coast used to have advisory committees that provided residents with opportunities to have input into policy. Many councils in SEQ (e.g. Redlands, Brisbane, Noosa) also provide their residents with opportunities to address the full council meetings on matters of concern to them. Gold Coast used to have this and opportunities to address Committees too, pre-Mayor Tate. If Council wants to know what Gold Coasters want for their City, all it needs to do is ask. See more

19.01.2022 Are Marina Mirage knowingly allowing helicopter joy ride business to operate in direct contradiction to the lease from DNRMA? Residents of Main beach and Southport are dismayed to realise that the Helitours operation from Marina Mirage, which drove them mad pre Covid 19 shutdown, will be starting up the tourist joy flights again. These flights of 4 helicopters operated all day/ 7 days per week with take offs and landings every 5 minutes creating both noise and air pollution i...ssues. This would appear to be in contradiction to the lease requirements for Marina Mirage - refer extracts below. "C151 The lessee shall not carry out or allow to be carried out upon the leased land, any offensive, noxious or noisesome (sic) occupation or business. M76 The use of Lot 533 on Plan WD5980 is restricted to marina and transport interchange facility purposes". The operation also appears to be in contraction to GCCC Local Law 16.5 (Aircraft Operations from a premises owned by a person) 2008 and a number of conditions outlined in GCCC Local Law no. 8 (Public Health, Safety and Amenity) 2008. Strenuous efforts by many residents to find out who is responsible for approving and managing this helicopter operation have met with little success and Council only says it has been referred to their legal team. It is time for someone in local and State government to take responsibility for this serious health hazard. #ACE

18.01.2022 The events of recent weeks have left no doubt that some in Council are putting the interests of developers ahead of those of the community. The quality of the city’s built form and streetscapes is compromised by this imbalance and we’re paying the price with reduced liveability of our suburbs. Hard fought gains with the City Plan Amendments relating to amenity have been eroded and Council is not listening to the many concerned voices across the city. It is unacceptable and we won’t stand by passively and allow it to continue. In coming weeks Community Alliance will be hosting an event to give you a voice, discuss the issues, and start community-driven positive change. Watch this space. Stay tuned for more information about the date of the event and the agenda. #ACE

18.01.2022 Do you agree with Yvette Dempsey whose letter published in the Bulletin yesterday raises questions about recent comments reportedly made by Cr Tom Tate about the Australia-China relationship and how he plans to "mend local bridges"? Following is a transcription of her letter, with links to the relevant articles at bottom. "IT seems incredible that in these times of fraught relationships between Australia and China that Tom Tate should dismiss it as political point scoring ...and say he could improve the situation by mending local bridges. Saturday’s Bulletin article served as a grim reminder for many Gold Coasters of some of the unpopular projects that were proposed by Chinese companies, aided and abetted by Cr Tate on his numerous visits to that country. The article spoke of some projects that were knocked back by the State Govt and council such as ASF’s Spit Integrated Resort but failed to mention the huge community outcry against these and other developments. The GCCC heavily promoted some of these proposals and would have got them over the line if it wasn’t for the ‘court’ of public opinion. It left many wondering whose side council was on and Cr Tate in particular. Clearly his attitudes haven’t changed as one of his favourite projects, the Songcheng theme park and high-rises on Carrara/Nerang floodplain, are still on his agenda. His close ally and Songcheng representative Roland Evans said that the company had resolved the issues with flood mitigation over the past two years. Really? As one of the local residents who has followed this closely, the last lot of the improvements seemed woefully inadequate and was compounded with access difficulties to and from the site. The proposed Coomera Connector is likely to make things worse for Songcheng and not better. There’s a key factor, however, that makes this project stand out as different to the others the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Ministry of Culture has included it in its ’Belt and Road Initiative’. It would also be a business heavily dependent on tourism from China but the CCP has recently decreed their citizens faced risks if travelling here and has generally painted Australia as an unfriendly nation. Now is not the time to do more business with this country we’re dependent enough as it is. This development shouldn’t go ahead for a number of reasons and if Cr Tate thinks local opposition to it has gone away then he’s very much mistaken." YVETTE DEMPSEY, CARRARA https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-Bulletin- https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Tates-Road-to-Recove #ACE

18.01.2022 The Broadwater helicopter tour operator recently shut down by Council for operating illegally is seeking to re-establish his business and will have his application decided this week. Residents of the many suburbs affected by the noise expect that Council will do the right thing and refuse the application in order to protect their residential amenity and the area from considerable pollution. After Council’s recent approval of Monaco and Flow developments, contrary to the wishes of local Councillors and residents who are fed-up with being ignored by Council’s Planning Committee, the outcome of this application will be an important test of where Council’s priorities really lie. Letters to the editor in today's Bulletin summarise the community's feelings towards the proposal. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/LettertoEditorGCB12S #ACE

15.01.2022 Professor Burton raises an interesting point of discussion about rising property values within 500m of the light rail. Most opposition to the light rail has been around the quality of high rise developments along the route and frequent failure to adhere to the city plan. There may be more opposition to the idea that those that benefit with higher property values should pay increased rates which can then be used to pay for infrastructure elsewhere in the city. This is worthy o...f community discussion. Also worthy of community discussion is the lack of consideration of cumulative impact in the City Plan with subdivision approvals in the growing north. Community Alliance agrees with Professor Burton that these areas have no character. They have been built to facilitate the developers rather than present and future residents resulting in hectares of cookie cutter suburbs. Gold Coast planners and Councillors have learned nothing from the problems of sprawling Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane suburbs and residents suffer from poor public transport, inadequate community facilities and parklands and the heat island impact of increasingly hot summers. Now they will be further disadvantaged by the imposition of a second M1 known as the Coomera Connector. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Rate-rise-on-the-car #ACE

15.01.2022 Planning failure again! Australia’s population is ageing, but our planning schemes are not responding to the needs of older Australian’s who have indicated they want to age in their neighbourhood, rather than having to move into a retirement village or similar. It appears that the Covid shutdown experience of having to stay in neighbourhoods has reinforced these views. Planning schemes need to respond with low and medium density homes rather than high rise units in suburbs wi...th safe, shaded walking places, good public transport and accessible local parks and other community facilities. The design of the home or duplex is equally important to enable older folk to stay at home. Community Alliance considers this and other planning issues highlight the need for Gold Coast City Council to establish an ongoing community forum that facilitates these important conversations and actions. https://theconversation.com/ageing-in-neighbourhood-what-se #ACE

13.01.2022 Community Alliance member Gold Coast Lifestyle Assoc (Stop Flight Path Impacts) is encouraging community members to lodge complaints with Airservices if they are disturbed by noise from aircraft that are allowed to land at Gold Coast Airport during curfew hours. The number of complaints will be a key point of reference for the Federal Department should an extension be sought to the current permit beyond 25 June 2021. There is no compelling case for these flights during curfew hours which are occurring due to operational expediency for QANTAS and Australia Post. They create a substantial inappropriate noise impost on the community. To lodge a complaint please follow this link: https://complaints.bksv.com/asa #ACE

13.01.2022 What do you think of the possible review of City Plan amendments for consideration of COVID-19 and stakeholder profits? The following excerpt, a response to the Bulletin article we posted a link to yesterday, is the take of a successful and well-respected Gold Coast architect: What I find appalling is that the attitude of ‘development at all cost’ is still being accepted as a professional argument and as justification to revert to poor planning principles. Yes, underground... parking is more expensive than podium parking but the amenity and long term street interface and liveability outcome far outweighs the cost. A building is around for a minimum of 50 to 80 years. That’s most mortals’ lifetime. The ‘developer stakeholders’ have had a free run and reign in this incredible city up until now. The general public is not as silly or ignorant as the ‘developer stakeholders’ think they are. The proof is in local action groups that are voicing their opinions and know that intuitively what is allowable currently is not in the best interests of their suburbs and the city as a whole. I’m astonished that as a professional community advising ‘developer stakeholders’ the concept of (ridiculous) profit is still a priority. Excellent profit is still possible with the amendments, in fact excellent design yields higher profit (tried and tested). The QLD ‘developer stakeholders’ are very slow to understand that the general public will eventually vote with their money and not buy crap, it is only a matter of time, in years. For too long this has been the case on the GC. It’s actually called Greed at the expense of basic amenity. Quality buildings and spaces with ‘increased requirements for non-revenue generating floor space’ are just common-sense planning and 101 first class design principles that are not negotiable in most first world cities including in America. I’m not a lefty greenie by any means and my background in working for firms in Sydney and the GC for successful developers is absolute proof that long term amenity (setbacks, underground parking, green space) does outweigh maxing everything out and building as cheaply and as unethically as possible. The Covid 19 excuse is just that. I think we need to take a long hard look at where we are at as a city, our role in preserving what is incredible and irreplaceable about our city and promote sustainable long term development for the right reasons. It is possible. The ‘don’t care, don’t live there’ attitude has to be stopped. #ACE

12.01.2022 It always seems to be the same people coming up with the same ideas that generally are not new. When will Council ask the general community to contribute to these future think tanks? We have a plethora of intelligent, experienced people in our community who may well have different perspectives. We never hear about promoting renewable or recycling industries or anything to do with sustainability which is the way of the future. An eco-industry expo (Covid safe of course) would ...be very popular. Tourism doesn’t have to be big projects, smaller eco tours, Indigenous or historical tours can be promoted to our residents and visitors. Bush regeneration projects will rehabilitate degraded areas and ensure great places for residents and tourists to visit as the borders open. The popularity of green open spaces was proven during the lockdown. All of these could be promoted online so that when travel resumes even more people will know where to come. Finishing the Oceanway would also be a great boon to all and is well overdue. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Future-Gold-Coast_-H #ACE

11.01.2022 Who is on the new Council team? The Council elections are receding into the past, but the Community Alliance continues to take a close interest in the new Council’s deliberations and has taken the opportunity to get to know the new Councillors on this team. Representatives of the Community Alliance have been able to meet with three of the new Councillors, Hammel, Patterson and Taylor, and are hoping to meet with the fourth in the not too distant future. All three meetings hav...e resulted in productive discussions about community concerns with the application of the City Plan in many developments. Particular attention was paid to explaining the Community Alliance concerns about the excessive relaxations being given to many developments and urged our new Councillors to look into this situation. The proof of the pudding is in the eating and no doubt there will be areas of disagreement, but the Community Alliance anticipates further positive discussions with all Councillors that will hopefully benefit the wider community. #ACE

11.01.2022 Community group Palmy Beach Club is seeking support of their fight against another development which bears no resemblance to the intent of the City Plan. Their objective of sending an emphatic message to Council that the community has had enough of overdevelopment is one that will undoubtedly resonate with many Gold Coasters.

10.01.2022 The City Plan amendments (major updates 2 and 3 over three years in the making) are now on hold, following the full Council decision today. Followers may recall Community Alliance concerns raised in the Council election campaign, that the CEO, an unelected official, had been delegated the authority to finalise the amendment package, provided there were no major changes. The new incoming Council should have rescinded that delegation, but did not. Now we discover the CEO has ...used that delegation to authorise the peer review of the amendment package, with no prior notification to Councillors. The peer review is a decision the full, elected Council should have made. It is high time the new Council rescinds the CEO’s delegation to finalise the amendment package before he uses it for more unexpected and unconsulted, high-consequence decisions. This City Plan review is no longer under the control of our elected representatives and that is unacceptable. #ACE

10.01.2022 If there’s one thing Council should have learned from the first round of the City Plan amendments it’s that the community wants greater clarity about planned changes affecting them particularly regarding development and they want better access to Councillors. These themes were repeated at the election with the campaigns of candidates such as Brooke Patterson and Darren Taylor being buoyed by their accessibility and promises of working closely with their divisions. However..., despite the clear message delivered by the community, it’s apparent that Council is becoming increasingly secretive and is making decisions that will impact the highly sensitive issues of density and building heights behind closed doors. The events of this week revealed that rate-payer’s money was spent on a secret review that will potentially result in the undoing of some hard-fought gains. When will we, the people these outcomes affect, be told? Have the developer lobby groups whose complaints were the impetus for this review had it shared with them? We have a right to know and we encourage you to contact your Councillor directly, as Community Alliance has, and ask for the review of the City Plan amendments affecting our city be shared with us. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-City-Coun #ACE

10.01.2022 Community Alliance member Gecko asks, when will the media and some MP’s realise that being Environment minister or shadow is about protecting the natural environment so that it and its wildlife inhabitants can thrive? Environment ministers may be down the pecking order of portfolios, but in reality that person has the most important role of all, as our entire economy and society depends on a healthy environment. COVID-19 has demonstrated how important the natural environment ...is to human wellbeing and in order to sustain us we must conserve it and use it with least impact possible. Note Gecko is not talking about locking up national parks, just using them sustainably and providing adequate funding to do this. It is not about how we can best exploit this increasingly threatened resource for the benefit of a few developers as is the case with the cableway mach 7. The degradation of Nerang National Park by unlawful mountain bike trails is a good example of very poor planning and management. This beautiful national park is home to several rare and threatened wildlife and plant species, but is being carved up by mountain bikes. It is incumbent on the State Government and Council to provide alternative, appropriate places for this growing sport. There is nothing new to say about the cruise terminal it is a bad idea and remains that way. Queensland has the lowest percentage of national parks in Australia at 8% compared to all other States and this must be remedied if we are to cope with a growing population and climate change https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-cruise-sh #ACE

09.01.2022 Community Alliance member Friends of Rainbow Bay Society is inviting people who are concerned about the proposed Flow development, which if approved would have unacceptable density, setback, noise and amenity impacts, to join them in raising their objection with Council. #ACE

08.01.2022 As the State election approaches, though it is still four months away, the politicians are coming out of hibernation with the rest of us. Recently a local politician put up a notice about a proposal for a cableway through Springbrook National Park and asked for feedback. She claimed that the people of Springbrook had not been asked their opinion last time in 2000, but it was the Springbrook residents who began the successful No Way Cableway campaign. There is a nine volume en...vironmental impact assessment that clearly states why a cableway through a small, fragile and fire prone national park is not a good idea. Nothing has changed since 2000, except the climate is getting drier and the bush more fire prone. There are many other reasons to object to a cableway and over the coming months Community Alliance will outline them for you to consider for yourself. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/20200612-Cableway-FB #ACE

08.01.2022 Car stackers have been a point of contention with some developments on the Gold Coast, but it seems they will be used in some where parking appears to be at a premium. Car stackers will never be better than basement parking which was the norm on the Gold Coast until recent years and now we have ugly above ground podiums instead. It is ironic that Gold Coast planner Robert Patrick suggests that they might not be needed when public transport improves and gives an example of a d...evelopment on the Gold Coast Highway at Palm Beach. Since this area has an excellent bus service and is the scene for the Light Rail Stage 4 (aka Stage 3b) the Community Alliance wonders why a stacker would be used in Palm Beach. Are there problems with noise, maintenance and costs and does the sea air pose a rust threat? These are certainly questions purchasers of units might be asking. #ACE

06.01.2022 Enough is enough! The cumulative impacts of approvals that permit gross overdevelopment of sites are slowly destroying the potential for the Gold Coast to become a leafy, inviting, world class, sub-tropical city. We can be bystanders and witness the creation of an unattractive concrete jungle right along the coastal strip or we can take action to help our fellow residents send a strong message to Council. These residents are doing the heavy lifting here by taking the Council to the P and E Court and need our help. Are you please able to chip in $10 (the cost of a couple of cups of coffee) or more as an investment in the future liveability of our City?

06.01.2022 As habitat in South East Queensland and Gold Coast in particular is cleared and fragmented it is increasingly important that opportunities are made to facilitate connectivity for our wildlife. Professor Darryl Jones, Urban Ecologist with Griffith University, is a world leader in wildlife crossings and has been engaged by Department of Main Roads and Council to advise on wildlife crossings for the Coomera Connector and the Gold Coast Highway where the Light Rail might eventual...ly go. You might wonder if these work and Professor Jones says they work because the directional fencing leading to the bridge so the koala can just move along the fence and come to the gap that is the bridge and move across. There are many style of crossings from underpasses, such as that planned for the M1 at Burleigh, to the bridges at Burleigh Heads and Currumbin. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Professor-Darryl-Jon #ACE

05.01.2022 Further to Mr Schneider’s comments that The truth is that, along the Gold Coast Highway corridor, there will be increased development that’s how we pay for the infrastructure. It’s an approach that’s used worldwide and delivers great results for communities (GCB 29/8/2020) it may have delivered great results for communities in other cities, but that has not been true of Palm Beach and that is why the debate is heated. Mr Schneider goes on to say There are rules in play ...that allow development, but sensible development to which the Community Alliance responds that the developers don’t want to follow the rules and the Council does not expect them too. How else can the community make sense of the fact that buildings along the tram route are frequently several times over density allowed with minimal setbacks and exceeding height allowance. The truth of this is seen in the Property Council of Australia and the Planning Institute of Australia lobbying Council to remove the small gains made in Amendments 2 and 3 to restore decent setbacks, heights, communal space, landscaping and car parking. Mr Schneider is Chair of the Gold Coast chapter of the Property Council and bears direct responsibility for this effort to reduce community amenity despite extensive community submissions endorsing these changes and hopes for more with the next amendment package. Is Matt Schneider really interested in quality development in our city or profitability of his industry? #ACE

04.01.2022 It would appear from today’s Gold Coast Bulletin article that Cr Tate has been the proponent of the City Plan review - Council’s response to complaints by developer lobby groups that amendments designed to reduce the impact of developments on the community constrain their opportunities to make money. The impact of COVID-19 has been cited as the justification for the review conducted by consultants who have made recommendations that support the developers’ claims. The amendme...nts under review would take 12 to 18 months to come into effect in any case and therefore undermine claims that they could influence current circumstances. The issue appears to be one of developer profitability only and any link to jobs growth is tenuous at best. The amendments under review are aimed at improving built form outcomes (increasing building set-backs and landscaping and reducing height) rather than preventing development altogether. A vote in favour of the review recommendations will be an emphatic win for the developers at the community’s expense. The Planning and Environment Committee today recommended the Council pause submission of the Amendments 2 and 3 package to the State government for approval, and instead undertake its own further review by October 2020. The matter goes to full Council for decision next week. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-City-Plan #ACE

03.01.2022 The pandering to excessive profitability for developers by offering 2, 3, even 5 times increases in density on small sites has fuelled shoddy development and skewed land values at the expense of community benefit and environmental amenity. The greed degrades the city and deters future quality investment. Conversely, making the city beautiful for locals ensures tourism and quality development follow. Some Councillors and assessment officers forget that the more stringent ru...les in the 1994 and 2003 Planning Schemes still enabled millionaires to be made through development. The rules were clear and created a level playing field. Now the rules are far less clear, and it’s become a free-for-all. ...at the expense of good outcomes. Does Council justify the flurry of approvals and density uplift is necessary because only 3% to 5% of projects approved on the coastal strip actually go ahead immediately? Well, the others usually come back to bite us. They lie dormant, waiting for the next buyer to pick up the land with an approval. Invariably changes to the conditions and building design are sought and the public are excluded from any scrutiny of the changes. The city gets shaped by stealth and the results are mostly underwhelming. Our city is in for a rough ride now because the planning approvals have conditioned the industry to expect inordinate yields on small sites. Minor changes proposed in the City Plan amendments 2 and 3 package, designed to pull things into line, are being challenged by the development industry as too hard on the market. A loss of profitability is seen as too risky for the city. Putting quantity ahead of quality may be a much greater risk in the long-term. If you are unhappy with developer greed being given priority over your City’s future lifestyle amenity then please phone your Councillor urgently to let them know. https://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au//mayor-councillor-profile #ACE

03.01.2022 What’s going on the City’s Planning Department. And why? The Planning Institute of Australia (PIA) and the Property Council of Australia (PCA), have written to Council objecting to fairly small City Plan changes designed to improve liveability, because of claims they will affect the profitability of the development industry. This pressure appears to have been the catalyst for a peer review of the City’s internal City Plan amendment work. Community Alliance has a number of q...uestions relating to this peer review and the chain of actions it appears to have triggered, including the premature termination of the contracts of well-respected senior planning staff. The secrecy, lack of transparency and accountability surrounding all of these actions is of great concern to many Gold Coast residents. Read our letter to Council’s CEO requesting full and prompt responses to a number of questions we’ve raised. Also included is correspondence from PIA and PCA. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/CEO_GCCC_PLanning_Is https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-City-Plan #ACE

03.01.2022 Please join Community Alliance and its member Oceanway2020 in creating awareness of the Oceanway initiative, which has had abysmal focus by Council and State Governments, and its importance as an election issue. There is no better time to lobby candidates about the projects for which you need support and if you want the missing links to a continuous Oceanway completed, then NOW is the time to speak up. #ACE

02.01.2022 In the Gold Coast Bulletin 29 August 2020 urban planner Matt Schneider contends the inability to hold a rational discussion about growth creates an environment in which everyone is reluctant to speak candidly, therefore making it controversial. The Community Alliance agrees that rational discussion is the key attribute missing here. Even now, with construction of Stage 3 underway, there is still more heat than light in the community conversation around light rail. For such ...a large infrastructure project the community engagement process has been woefully ineffective. While an ongoing Light Rail Business Advisory Group has been established, why is there no provision for resident representation into the process? Ordinary citizens are excluded from forums that could be building constructive two-way community dialogue. Little wonder that heated debates about alternate routes for Stage 4 (to the airport and Coolangatta) and changes to City Plan to better manage growth along the corridor continue to arise. We consider these matters need to be resolved through vastly improved, genuine, and sustained community engagement (pop-up stands at shopping centres do not meet the standard required). https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Matthew-Schneider_-G #ACE

01.01.2022 Community Alliance certainly supports wildlife bridges for Burleigh National Park and Currumbin reserves and we hope they are intended only for wildlife. It is unclear from the TMR brochure on light rail whether this is the case for the Burleigh Heads one. We also hope that Council consulted with Professor Darryl Jones, urban ecologist from Griffith University, who is a world leader in wildlife bridge structures. We fully agree that they should be built prior to the light r...ail which is years away and if that happens we might see koalas back in Burleigh National Park. The design is unusual, and we would hope the colour would blend in with the natural bush more. The city‘s environmental credentials could do with a boost especially with the high rate of habitat clearing leaving koalas and wildlife with nowhere to live. That said, the koala team in Council do a great job under difficult conditions. https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-Light-rai #ACE

01.01.2022 This an encouraging development. We wait to see the outcome.

01.01.2022 There are a few things wrong with Cr Tate’s new route for Light Rail Stage 4 (aka 3b) via 19th Ave and the M1 corridor to the airport. Firstly, 19th Ave is actually in Palm Beach and takes in at least a third of Palm Beach so residents will still oppose it. Secondly, the opposition is not so much the light rail itself as the development that accompanies it, which features many high rises that do not comply with the City Plan. This phenomena would just shift west. Thirdly, we... have been told repeatedly that there is no room in the M1 corridor for both light rail and passenger rail, therefore it would be one or the other. Fourthly, the cost of 19th Ave/ M1 route would have to be at least double the Gold Coast Highway route, and money is scarce at present. We have a perfectly good bus service from the airport in the 777, which even pre-Covid was nearly always empty, so why not stick with that for the foreseeable future? Or we could get with the 21st century and even consider a trackless tram that can go anywhere at a quarter the cost and disruption! https://www.communityalliance.org.au/s/Gold-Coast-Light-Rai #ACE