Council stalls on light rail corridor feedback
A SENIOR councillor says officers are not releasing critical community feedback on neighbourhood planning until the light rail is ready to be rolled out.
Daphne McDonald told the Bulletin the Palm Beach and Kirra Place analysis completed in August last year had not been released despite her request to officers.
Cr McDonald was one of five councillors at full council on Tuesday who voted against approving a 20-level tower at Main Beach where the density was 3.5 times allowed under zoning.
The beachfront apartment building on a 1261sq m block in Main Beach Parade was given the tick largely due to an unlimited height zone and being within a 750-800 metres radius from a light rail station.
Cr McDonald yesterday called for the Palm BeachKirra study results to be released as developers had begun getting approvals for high-density developments along the proposed southern light rail route.
“Palm Beach residents want to protect the character of their neighbourhood,” she said.
“The Town Plan as they see it is not being adhered to.
“I have a real concern about how our city will look in 15 years time.
“We are going to look like some of the Asian cities like Vietnam where the buildings are next door to each other without any of the ground greenery.”
A response by officers in an email to Cr McDonald confirmed the Palm Beach and Kirra Place analysis, which involved feedback from residents, was completed in August last year.
The council two months later supported a staged approach to reviewing the city’s zoning, height and density policy in the City Plan, the officers said.
The light rail stage 3 corridor, taking the route first go to Burleigh and then further south through Palm Beach, was excluded from the review.
The detailed business case for stage 3A to Burleigh was currently being prepared.
“The business case for stage 3B is yet to be prepared, and therefore changes to the City Plan within stage 3B are not being considered at this time,” the officers wrote.
The officers admitted the character studies were to provide relevant background information for City Plan to cover reviews of zoning, height and density within specific areas.
“Therefore the Kirra and Palm Beach character studies will be considered by council when policy development for future land use planning within stage 3B commences,” the officers said.
Deputy Mayor Donna Gates yesterday worked to dispel fears that suburbs along the next stage of the light rail route will swamped with highrise’’.
“That’s incorrect. The City Plan makes it very clear that suburbs like Mermaid Beach, Miami and Burleigh do not face unlimited height conditions,’’ she said.
“In the entire City Plan, only Southport, Surfers and Broadbeach have unlimited height conditions.
“Specifically, the north side of Peerless Ave in Broadbeach forms the southern boundary so far as when lower height limits are imposed. It is incorrect for anyone to say otherwise.’’
The Deputy Mayor said the Draft City Plan was open to two years of community feedback before it was implemented in February 2016. “be