Bid to stop carpark sale

HIGH profile Surfers Paradise businesspeople and residents have banded together to explore legal action to block the council sale of Bruce Bishop Car Park.

The Save Surfers Paradise group includes lawyers – among them retired judge Clive Wall – who have formed a legal team to dispute the sale.

Save Surfers Paradise spokeswoman and Infinity managing director Deborah Kelly said the group was planning a rally to protest against the decision.

The group’s formation in the past fortnight comes ahead of the council’s release on July 8 of expressions of interest for marketing agents to sell the carpark.

Ms Kelly said the group’s concerns included a lack of parking during events, use of developer funds set aside for parking for other purposes, and the impact on businesses.

“People didn’t realise there would be no parking at all while it’s being developed,” she said.

The legal action will explore whether the council is able to sell the carpark as it has been built and maintained using developer contributions set aside specifically for transport and parking.

The Gold Coast City Council voted to sell the carpark last month in a sudden decision.

Conditions of any sale would include retaining at least 740 public carparks in the future development.

Money from the sale would go towards construction of the Evandale cultural precinct.

Save Surfers Paradise was the brainchild of a number of high profile residents including Ms Kelly, Judge Wall, solicitor John Punch and media and property investor Hans Torv.

Ms Kelly said the group was certain the number of car parks used every day was higher than the 640 quoted by Mayor Tom Tate.

Ms Kelly said the carpark was full at 6.46pm on June 3 for the Seafire fireworks festival.

A council spokesman said conditions attached to the final contract of sale would ensure there was adequate parking provided during development.