Abedian: Pollies are failing us
ONE of the Gold Coast’s most respected developers has given state political leaders a major spray over the axing of integrated resort plans at The Spit.
Sunland co-owner Soheil Abedian is urging elected representatives to put party politics aside as moves are made to reassure a jittery international investment community after the Labor State Government terminated ASF’s $3 billion Spit project.
The Labor party’s Left faction drove the ASF project axing after putting its foot down following Government approval for the $3.1 billion first stage of the Adani coal mine, political sources claimed in yesterday’s Bulletin.
Mr Abedian, whose Sunland has parked its own twintower Mariner’s Cove project, said: “I hope one day our elected representatives put the party politics aside and think about how best they can serve the people.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement to kill off the five-tower ASF plan went against its own consultation showing 54 per cent of people favoured it. She also locked in a three-storey height limit despite committing to a masterplan for the area.
“We are happy to approve mining that destroyed our environment and not to approve hotels that is the cleanest industry in the world,” a frustrated Mr Abedian said.
“Nobody believed this would happen. There was a level of understanding the Government might come back and say not 40 storeys but maybe 20.
“If somebody wants to bring $3 billion in, is that viable for three levels … seriously? They want to invest that much into the economy and we don’t want it?”
Asked about the likelihood of ASF – the preferred proponent for four years – successfully suing for compensation, Mr Abedian said: “The compensation really needs to be paid to the future generations not us developers. It is the youth that have lost their faith in the way we are managing our responsibilities.”
Roland Evans, the Australian face of multi-billion-dollar international investors on the Gold Coast, said he had been “putting out fires” worldwide since the State revealed on Tuesday it was scrapping ASF’s casino resort proposal.
Mr Evans represents global interests including Chinese mega-corporation Wanda Group, theme park developers Songcheng and is marketing the high-profile Star of the Sea site in Southport.
Mr Evans, also behind the conglomeration of farmland at Norwell earmarked as a future new city, said he had fielded six calls in 24 hours from jittery investors.
“Some of the larger investors have asked me to explain why this has happened and whether they should now be moving their investments to Victoria and New South Wales,” he said.
“I’ve been telling them to keep faith in the Gold Coast because I still think it’s the best place in Australia.”
Premier Palaszczuk said yesterday she was “very happy with the decision we made”.
“This is going to be an iconic tourist destination for international visitors and families.
“We’re talking about 160 hectares, the equivalent like a New York Central Park, but surrounded by an ocean and the Broadwater. It will be iconic to Queensland.
“We’re going down the path of a master plan and now is a great opportunity for everyone on the Gold Coast to have their say about that master plan for The Spit to be enjoyed for generations to come,” she said.
Surfers Paradise Opposition MP John-Paul Langbroek, admitting mistakes were made on handling The Spit under LNP’s previous Newman Government, said his party would have “no predetermined decision on height as Labor have done”.
Labor has committed to developing a master plan but with a three-storey height limit as per the city council’s Town Plan.
“One thing we would never do is tell people and encourage them to do something, have them spend millions jumping through all sorts of hoops and then on the eve of an election tell them you can’t do it at all and send them packing back to to the country where they are from,” Mr Langbroek said.