REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Saturday January 28, 2006

THE Gold Coast City Council approved development on Currumbin Hill despite being warned in 1959 that the area was prone to landslides.

The council told homeowners their houses were ‘dangerous and unfit for occupation’, seven months after a devastating landslip.

Two residents, whose homes were unaffected by the landslip the previous June, were issued ‘show cause’ notices claiming their houses were unstable.

And with 50 other homes in the area under investigation, engineering services director Warren Day said more notices would go out, warning people about stormwater drainage issues and related problems.

It was understood homeowners who failed to comply with the notice could be prosecuted and potentially removed.

However, The Gold Coast Bulletin revealed that the council was warned in 1959, and again in 1999, that several areas on the hill were prone to landslips.

The Bulletin viewed geotechnical maps, dated May 31, 1959, which warned that undeveloped lots on Lansell Ave were subject to ‘possible landslips’.

Lansell Ave was worst affected by the floods and subsequent landslide, with two sets of residents unable to return to their homes.

In 1999, geo-technicians warned the council there was a ‘moderate risk’ of landslides. Other developed areas of Currumbin Hill were designated a ‘very high’ landslip hazard rating on the more recent geotechnical maps, also viewed by The Bulletin.