TAFE site to be cleared

Win for neighbourhood after years of lobbying

THE long-vacant old Ridgeway TAFE campus at Southport will be demolished this week, after nearly a decade of community pressure to hand the space to the Gold Coast City Council.

The campus, which has sat unused for eight years at a cost of $500,000 a year for security and maintenance, will be cleared for an estimated $340,000.

It is understood the clearing of the old buildings on the site will assist in negotiations between the State Government, who own the site, and their plans to transfer a portion of the land to the council.

A new public pathway will be constructed in conjunction with the demolition to connect Ridgeway Ave and Benowa Rd, providing convenient and safe access for residents to access the shops on Benowa Rd.

It is understood a parcel of the property will also be sold.

The campus was a feature in the recent council elections with newly elected Division 6 councillor Brooke Patterson promising action on the site.

It coincided with a petition by community members, including long-time local Judith DeBoer, calling for the State Government to do something with the site.

Minister for Training and Skills Development Shannon Fentiman said the demolition work would remove a major hurdle for future negotiations with parties.

“Today is an important milestone for the community around the old Ridgeway TAFE campus,” Ms Fentiman said.

“I recently had a teleconference with members of Southport Park Ridgeway Neighbourhood to ensure we can achieve positive outcomes for everyone.

“The Queensland Government is in negotiations with the Gold Coast City Council to enable the transfer of part of the site as recreational space, to compliment existing council-owned open space.”

It is understood the costs of the site will be transferred back into local TAFE training facilities and program.

Councillor Patterson said she would work to ensure the transfer of the land earmarked for sale was done correctly.

“This is fantastic news, to know this will become a publicly usable space,” she said.

“We know it is not a good time to be selling off public land, even if it is a small portion so I will do what I can to ensure the community is happy with what happens.”

Southport MP Rob Molhoek said the result showed the power of community.

“It is a testament to Judith and her team,” he said.

“The first step to saving the site was when it was prevented from being sold off for development years ago. The next round is getting it to council.

“Now we have time to look where to from here; now we know a large potion of the site isn’t going to be sold and will go back to the community.”