Battle over surf club Community campaigner re-forms group to protect ‘remnant rainforest’
A BATTLE is brewing over plans to build a new surf lifesaving club amid what is being called a “hidden treasure” and “rich remnant rainforest” discovered in the middle of the Glitter Strip more than a decade ago.
The Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club wants to develop a second “north branch” at David Evans Reserve in Main Beach Pde at Narrowneck to complement its existing clubhouse.
However, the area is home to rare littoral rainforest that the council moved to protect following a survey of the area in 2006.
Surfers Paradise club president and former ironman champion Trevor Hendy said the second clubhouse would allow members to be closer to the beach and to improve patrols of northern beaches considered the most dangerous in the state.
But the plan has enraged long-time community campaigner Don Magin.
He said the issue had forced him to re-form the Friends of Macintosh Island Park and Narrowneck group in an attempt to stop the project.
“The fact that the community now have to suffer this loss because the (surf) club wants to expand is outrageous,” said Mr Magin, who said he had written to several politicians about the issue. “(The club area) looks like it will be 130m long, the impact will be massive, all historic and cultural amenity will be gone.”
Yesterday Mr Hendy said he did not want to comment.
But last year he said a second clubhouse on the beachfront just 2km north of the club’s existng landlocked clubhouse on The Esplanade would further protect beaches.
“A second clubhouse allows us to get back on the beach and have our nippers on the beach and play more of a role in the community, to have school come to visit us and give them more surf awareness,” Mr Hendy said at the time of the proposal.
He said a small amount of the roadside vegetation would be affected.
“Less than 8 per cent of the trees will be disturbed, and any that are would be relocated a few metres to the north or south.”
Mr Hendy said the existing clubhouse on The Esplanade at Surfers Paradise would remain the main supporters’ club and entertainment venue.
He said the north branch – supported by Hong Kongbased developer Aquis which is building a $440 million project across the road at Pacific Point – would focus on surf sports and education.
Although the trees are considered “a nationally threatened ecological community”, the federal Environment Department said it did not need to intervene.
“When the Minister or his delegate finds that a proposed development is ‘not a controlled action’, it means that a particular action does not need approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act because it is not likely to have a significant impact on a nationally protected matter,” a department spokesman said.
The council voted in December to spend $40,000 to assess whether rainforest could be established at the Spit to offset any future development. Planning committee chairman Cameron Caldwell proposed the motion at full council but said the decision to allow the club to lodge an application would not influence future council consideration of the proposal.
Surfers Paradise councillor Gary Baildon was the only councillor to speak against.
University of Queensland environmental policy expert Dr Megan Evans warned transplanting or offsetting rainforest habitat could be a risky and expensive process.