’It brings into question council’s integrity’
INFLUENTIAL Gold Coast media and property investor Hans Torv has smashed council plans to sell public land in the middle of Surfers Paradise.
The planned land and assets sales include the Bruce Bishop carpark and former transit centre, neighbouring Neal Shannon Park and seven other lots including two major parcels of land at Robina.
Local residents rallied against the sale yesterday and Surfers Paradise State MP John-Paul Langbroek also fought it, starting a petition against it.
Mr Torv, who founded independent radio station Hot Tomato and its associated myGC news service, said the council was “overstepping its civic duty” by selling off the prized public assets.
The land at Surfers was gifted to the city in 1938 by Charles Joseph Hicks, who instructed the land be preserved as a recreational reserve.
“Council wants to destroy his gift just to bolster their short-term budget position, swapping his legacy for an arts centre and bridge building project of their own desire,” Mr Torv said in an email to the council.
“It will bring into question the council’s integrity, honesty and trustworthiness. Which right-minded citizen will ever again donate such a valuable parcel of land to the city?”
Mr Torv suggested the Mayor donate the site of the former Surfers Paradise Bowls Club, in which he is a shareholder, to the city as green space in lieu of the city asset.
Mr Torv said the council’s argument that removing parks and widening bridges would reduce traffic did not stack up.
“It doesn’t matter how big the bridge is – it will still end in a T intersection,” he said.
“There’s a much better solution for the future traffic flow and you already have it on some early council plans – a bridge from Etna St to Rio Vista Boulevard – it gives a whole new route south as far as Miami and Pizzey Park.
“What the Gold Coast needs is more river crossings not bigger ones.”