Capri plan rejection a win for residents

THE Gold Coast’s ageing canal estates will be protected from commercial development after council backed a protest from residents.

Councillors at the planning committee meeting yesterday without debate ticked off on an officer’s recommendation to refuse an application for a twostorey office building on the Isle of Capri.

The decision effectively prevents a “sprinkling of commercial development” among ageing housing in the waterfront estates on the Coast.

A campaign by the new Save Our Street Alliance led to 400 objections to the proposed business on a housing block at the intersection of Via Roma and Salerno St.

The development would have created a cafe and health services opposite the Surfers Paradise State School.

Officers in their report to council provided positive comment on the architectural plans for the new building which would replace an ageing property on a 850 sqm block.

But they noted the area was characterised by low density residential housing.

Outside the meeting, council planning chairman Cameron Caldwell said: “We want to maintain the integrity of these detached dwelling areas.

“Isle of Capri has a designated neighbourhood centre.

“This was an out-of-centre development and ultimately we recommended refusal.”

Asked why neighbouring Chevron Island had more high rise, Councillor Caldwell said the City Plan provided different scenarios for each location.

“Isle of Capri, quite low rise and low density. Chevron has been identified as higher rise and higher density,” he said.

SOSA spokesman Michael Niddrie said the win by residents was also a victory for school students and parents concerned about road safety.

“We are very, very pleased. I’m very happy about the result in favour of 650 school kids that go to that school,” he said.