WE CAN’T BE MUSHROOMS

DAPHNE McDonald’s plea for the town plan to be binned and a fresh start made to determine how the city should be developed or protected is a shot across the bow for the council and the State Government.

The councillor has gone in to bat for her division of Palm Beach, pleading the case for sticking firmly to height and density limits to avoid creating a huge parking nightmare and turning the beach-hugging suburb into concrete canyons.

She wants Palm Beach to retain its coastal, family charm.

The issues Cr McDonald raises will be a defining dilemma for all of the Gold Coast as the population continues to explode in the years to come. Managing growth will not be easy considering the two major competing challenges.

On the one hand is an understandable policy to minimise urban sprawl, which if allowed to continue removes whatever green space remains and drives up the cost of running the city. On the other hand is the pressure placed by higher density living on the village atmosphere and lifestyle that attracted people here in the first place.

Cr McDonald has been around long enough to understand people’s right to develop property, but argues against a system now based on judging applications on merit rather than planning guidelines.

With the State Government committed to developing “up, not out’’, there will be more development of high-density living in towers, especially along the light rail route.

There is no doubt the city can’t avoid denser population in the coastal suburbs, but we do not want a towering wall of concrete along the city’s entire 45km beachfront. The Gold Coast has to revisit its town blueprint. The council has to be transparent in its decision where high rise zones are permitted.

Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach are now virtually open-slather on unrestricted heights. Other zones must be identified, but we would argue with restrictions.

And there should be areas retained for low rise. Transparency is the key.

The council, developers, ratepayers – everyone – must be clear where towers are allowed and which areas are preserved to retain that village feel.