Property use in dispute
Council rules no approval for acreage changes
A DEVELOPMENT battle over a Gold Coast property is being waged by the city council after a property owner allegedly made unauthorised builds on the acerage.
The property on Bonnie Brae Dve, Guanaba was subject to a Gold Coast City Council probe last year, after complaints from residents about alleged operation of a horse transport business at a site zoned rural residential.
Property owner Adam Maley disputes that.
Council also alleged multiple changes without approval had been made, including the construction of a shed and the filling of dams. A show cause notice was issued at the time.
The owner applied for approval to have the site rezoned for animal keeping and some operational works, but was knocked back last month.
Council officers said they believed the development was of a “scale and intensity” that is inconsistent with the area.
Officers also found the development resulted in removal of matters of environmental significance and any proposed remediation would be considered “insufficient”.
Mr Maley, who owns the property with Lucas Waller, is appealing council’s decision.
“We are certainly very disappointed in the Gold Coast
Council’s decision and have already started working on the appeal,” he said.
He admitted some works had been done without permission but not to the extent the council had claimed.
“We are working to rectify those matters,” he said.
“When we purchased the property a number of things had been illegally constructed such as the dams so we were working to rectify them.”
Mr Maley said it was also incorrect to suggest he had been operating a business from the site.
“We do have a horse transport business but the trucks are parked elsewhere, the application is to use the land for animal keeping.
“We wanted horses in the paddocks, which is the application that council has declined.
“That is very disappointing given other equestrian centres are established out here.”
Peter Young, the councillor for the area, said there had been a number of complaints from locals because of trucks exiting and entering the property.
“The owner has the opportunity to appeal, but I will be expecting council to defend the matter vigorously,” he said.
“Places like Guanaba have been zoned for rural residential. The encroachment of commercial development does effect the area substantially.”