Corridor open to compo

THE State Opposition and the council say the light rail corridor between Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads is yet to be gazetted, leaving the door open for compensation to developers.

A Bulletin report at the weekend detailed how the department of Transport and Main Roads had ticked off on a construction management plan for a 15-level apartment tower at Burleigh Heads, despite the Caltex service station location being the site for a future light rail station.

Burleigh MP Michael Hart is convinced the State will face multimillion-dollar compensation payouts but Transport Minister Mark Bailey says the light rail corridor has been gazetted.

“Bailey is stretching the truth,’’ Mr Hart said this week. “Show us what has been formerly gazetted as light rail.

“I’ve talked to two different planners and I checked with the Gold Coast City Council. All three said that there had been no gazettal.

“If it is gazetted, why did TMR have no objection to this guy building his development (on the light rail station site)?.”

The Bulletin understands Mr Bailey’s office has been told the Broadbeach to Burleigh route has been gazetted as a road corridor and the light rail will run down the middle.

City council planning chair Cameron Caldwell agreed that mapping for Stage 3A had been prepared for community consultation.

“Council is aware of a planned route and station locations but that route has not yet been formally identified by gazettal,” he said.

Since the council had not received any formal notification of the route, it was yet to proceed with a light rail overlay map that affected development around the corridor.

“Council will consider changes to the planning scheme in due course,” Cr Caldwell said.

“What happened last time in relation to Stage 1, the State Government wrote to council and basically (it was) show cause as to why these areas, within 800m of a light rail section, should not be a higher level of density than what you have depicted on your current draft scheme. In response to that we advocated for certain areas, west of Tedder, Budds Beach, parts of Chevron Island and Isle of Capri, to be excluded from medium to high-density development.”

Cr Caldwell said at the moment the council could only judge an application on its merits according to the existing city plan.

Transport Minister Mark Bailey did not respond for comment.