Gilston land vision not so grand after all
THE idea of shops and a tavern near private golf course The Grand at Gilston maybe wasn’t such a grand idea after all.
The plan, along with other grand ideas such as a housing enclave for rich Chinese, has been shelved by China Meichen, a company that several years ago opened its chequebook to buy land in Worley Dve.
Instead, China Meichen is setting out to cash in its chips by developing an 82-lot residential estate.
The centrepiece of its 6.1ha site, a 36-year-old manor called La Campagne (The Countryside) will be left intact on the site if the estate gets a planning green light.
China Meichen, associated with 51-year-old Singaporeanborn Benny Huang, popped up on the radar in 2013 when it bought adjoining Worley Drive properties from valuer Rob Boyland and wife Kym for $6m.
The following year it emerged that the company wanted to build 39 posh homes on some of the land and a shopping centre and tavern on the rest.
It’s believed the intention was that La Campagne would be used as a residents’ country club.
China Meichen’s homes apparently were to be aimed at wealthy Chinese, with prices that could start at close to $2m and might hit $3m.
“Exclusivity” was to be in the form of two and threelevel homes with up to six bedrooms, media rooms, offices, and formal and family living areas.
Some were to have pools and the odd one a wine cellar.
The owners were to have access to what China Meichen called Gilston Town Square, a shopping centre and tavern, on their doorstep.
The company gained approval for the “town square”, which was to include medical and childcare centres, but dropped the tavern plan.
Two years later China Meichen tried to sell its
Worley Dve property, a move that provoked lots of inquiry, but it then had a change of heart.
A development application was lodged prior to Christmas for a subdivision in which the lots would range from 400 to 644sq m.
La Campagne would be retained on a 7468sq m site.
Meanwhile, the residents of Worley Dve might be relieved that a shopping and
commercial centre isn’t going ahead but they might be uneasy over the prospect of more traffic in their dead-end street.
That traffic won’t come purely from development of the China Meichen land.
A fellow called Marek Pulik, via company Koala Lane, wants to establish a 32title estate on a neighbouring 3.4ha property.
The Czech-born Marek has
given his project the name Koala Park, with the land to be sold as lots of from 434sq m to 803sq m and as potential house-land packages.
The estate’s already in the market but has yet to get planning approval.
Queensland Treasury might have been slowing that process – it has posed questions over the impact the Pulik plan might have on koalas.