Party planners slammed

A DESIGNATED adult “party house” zone for strippers and swingers in central Surfers Paradise will create a yearround “lawless” Schoolies-type atmosphere, critics fear.

Surfers Paradise MP JohnPaul Langbroek and Mermaid Beach MP Ray Stevens – who drove legislation under the previous Newman Government to help outlaw party houses – say council’s plan for a dedicated zone flies in the face of the city’s family friendly tourism profile.

Party houses are able to be let for bucks parties with strippers and swingers nights but must have a bouncer, keep a guest log and not be viewed or heard by neighbours or public places.

Mr Langbroek said Schoolies weeks were “lawless” and permanently designating central Surfers an official “party house” zone for adults would similarly see visitors feel entitled to behave the same way.

“It would turn it into a zone that council can’t actually control,” Mr Langbroek said. “It would be a 365-day-a-year, 24hour-a-day Schoolies.”

Mr Stevens said councillors backing the designated zone either needed to have a brain transplant or to have an “unsavoury” party house relocated next to them.

“They should be sticking with what our State laws intended which was to give council the power to outlaw them,” Mr Langbroek said.

“This will undermine legitimate tourism operators.

“There are a lot of residents in that area and it will make their lives absolutely intolerable.”

Gold Coast City Council planning committee chairman Cameron Caldwell said council’s Surfers Paradise party house zone was nothing new, had been in place for two years and led to reduced complaints about party houses in suburbs. The upcoming change would see it permanently enshrined in the new City Plan, he said.

IT WOULD TURN IT INTO A ZONE THAT COUNCIL CAN’T ACTUALLY CONTROL JOHN-PAUL LANGBROEK

Mr Caldwell said the zone would be bounded south by Hamilton Ave where the Q1 tower is to View Ave to the north. No properties on the western (beach) side of the Surfers Paradise riverfront were included in the zone.

“These restrictions use planning laws as far as possible to limit the possibility of party houses to a very small defined area,” Cr Caldwell said.

“These provisions are aimed at saving our suburbs from the scourge of party houses. Over the last two years we have seen a dramatic reduction in disruption in our suburbs from party houses. We don’t want to see these in Broadbeach Waters, Mermaid Waters, Tallai, Isle of Capri etc.

“This is not new.”