Axe will fall as houses to go up
FOR 30 years it has been used by kids on their BMX push bikes and as a thoroughfare for walkers.
But soon the 5167sq m undeveloped block cluttered with trees in Cotlew St, Southport, will be turned in housing lots after being bought for $1.46 million by an anonymous bidder.
Councillor Gary Baildon said he explored options for the council to purchase the land, dubbed Coolibah park by locals.
“We had been contacted by a concerned resident, so an assessment was undertaken to see what could be done,” Cr Baildon said.
The rocky site was found to have contained a 3708sq m patch of regrowth blackbutt vegetation and no species “of significance’’.
Historically, land purchases by the council have taken place to link one green space with another already in council or State ownership.
“There was no link in this case, but we have a history of looking into this type of thing all over the city, if we can get it and it is worthwhile,” Cr Baildon said.
“Anybody is welcome to raise this sort of thing and put it forward.”
Resident Steve Houlihan, who lives close to the parcel of land, said a park would have been fantastic, but he was happy to see his rates go elsewhere.
“The Gold Coast has a lot of green space. We are very well served,” Mr Houlihan said.
But Southport green space advocate Judith DeBoer said preserving similar blocks of land should be a priority.
“I know that over the next 50 years it is going to get incredibly dense. It really scares me to lose usable green space,” Ms DeBoer said.
“When the population doubles, there are going to be pockets of green space that keep people sane.”