Hi all that have a social/cultural/environment consciousness and concern or a passion for Kite or Windsurfing on the Gold Coast's Beautiful and Unique Broadwater now and into the future and our way of life.
I spent most of today, Thursday 15th September 2016, at the Council Evandale/ Arts Centre Chamber to attend a rally of like minded (mainly elderly grey or rinse set headed people) and a handful of Kite and Windsurfers wave our placards and posters to the media and try to give the Councillor's an idea that there are many, many in our Community, 'that are not happy Jan' with the Proposed 2 x 44 Storey Multi Storey Highrise Development by Sunland on the Mariners Cove (aka Fishermans Warf) Site on the iconic Gold Coast Main Beach Spit Area and/or any other stinking Highrise Developments that may be wanting to be proposed in future for the area also.
As most who are aware that the Spit has for a very long time been enshrined in the Council and Government's Local Area Plan Laws upon all State Government owned land which extends pretty well from Southport Yacht Club out to the Northern Peninsula past Doug Jennings Park has a permissible Building Height of no more than 3 Storeys in height, in the former Local Area Plan and the Current Local Area Plan (or 2020 Vision). The original reasons for the height restrictions and types of permissible types of Developments were for any building there to harmonise with the natural landscape to a height no more than tall tree lines, preserve the open vistas across the Broadwater, be treated as an entertainment and recreation precinct with strong emphasis to preserve an open green space feel and relief for the people from other areas of Mass Height and Density Structures which is considered as good urban plan ideals that within Cities there needs to be as many open green space and vista areas as possible for physiological relief and to recreate separate from dense built out and potential negative physiological, stifling effects, overcrowding, overshadowing and urban jungles. I am not going to quote any references here as there are just simply too many to list from pretty well most current and modern history City Urban Planning Experts, Texts and Studies.
Now as I have said to many in the past, please do not get me wrong as I am not a fanatical environmentalist and I believe we need to exploit some areas in order to preserve other areas and to provide built environs to house us and others, conduct or transact business, entertain and to harmonise with tourism and have employment. But the Gold Coast Main Beach Spit and Broadwater have become an iconic Jewel in the Crown for our conservation, leisure, enjoyment along with our iconic Beaches and Hinterland. I along with many, many other Gold Coastians and Visitors believe full heartedly this is an area to be preserved at its always intended height restriction levels for any Development there as it is not broken nor does it need fixing in that regard. There are so many other current zoned areas around the Gold Coast where Sunland and others can go and build their Multi Storey in their words (their Iconic Structures, which is a bit of a joke when it comes to Sunlands view on that as Sunland sent information to the media and Council that they designed this Iconic Building specifically with this site in mind that can be likened to The Sydney Opera House, The Eiffel Tower, The Guggenheim Museum and a few other famous name buildings they rattled off and that it was the last remaining gift by the world renowned Women Architect, Hadid before she unexpectedly died! When the building design was recycled from a Development on the Toowong in Brisbane Waterfront Site with almost identical tower designs as the ones Sunland is proposing for this Development with the exception the proposed one for the Toowong Site that never got off the ground was 3 towers instead of 2. Plus the fact I could go on about many of Hadid & Partner Architects building designs had been ridiculed by many critics as to their building designs merits, appearances and functionality but I won't and if your at all interested I implore you to do your own research on this matter) while still attracting, JOBS & GROWTH!!! Instead of Developers trying to exploit by way of mass vertical density structures of our very few unique last remaining pieces of uncrowded, scenic open spaces for a massive Cash Grab for them at our and our future generations expense. To quote what Councillor Dawn Crichlow said in todays Full Council Meeting about Sunland's Proposed Development "it's the right Building but in the wrong location!"
Anyway back to the result of todays Full Council Meeting after many hours of sitting around and waiting until it came up on the Council's agenda, Mayor Tom Tate heavily argued, influenced and led the main line of discussion to defer the Council's decision on Sunland's High Rise Development for the Spit until Council can consult with the State Government who owns the land as to what the State Governments idea or plan is for other Development Proposals to the Spit like the possible ASF/Packer Consortium Proposed Fully Integrated Resort, Casino and Residential Development on several hectres of State Government owned land to the Southern End of SeaWorld's Carpark Area and Possible others Redevelopment of the current Marina Mirage Site and Area. This was against quite a few of the Councillors presenting there case that Sunlands Development should simply be refused as it just simply does and has never complied with the Town Planning Laws as they stand for that area regardless and the Developer would have had to have known that in their submission regardless of who designed the building and what merit the building proposes. So after deliberations, breaks and a part closed session of the Councillors Meeting, they returned back for the vote and all considered the acceptance or refusal of the Proposal was going nowhere, that most of the Councillor's bent to Mayor Tom Tate's request that the decision on the Proposal be deferred for possibly up to 12 months so that Council can try to work with QLD State Government as Mayor Tom Tate put it "to flush out State Government as they are Big Brother on what their intentions are with the Spit Once and for good so that Council and the State Government and all can be on the same page as each other and what going on once and for all". So they took a vote and that motion was passed in favour of doing exactly that. Which as Sunland's Development Application for the Proposed Development expires on the 30th September 2016, Sunland can deem through their own choice that the Application for Development Approval is deemed as a refusal or Council will be happy to work with Sunland to assist them with an extension pending the outcomes with State Government Consultations into the future and again in Mayor Tom Tate's words "That Council and the Gold Coast want to be able to keep the door open on this magnificent and wonderful Development opportunity for the Gold Coast and not loose it".
So on that note to all that are against these types of Multi Storey Developments Proposals for our Gold Coast Main Beach Spit, the fight to preserve our Iconic Spit and way of life we are used to with it, has only just begun all over again. Please accept I have only begun to scratch the surface with information or informing you all of the many facets and dimensions to what I have already reported in this post and my previous few posts to do with the same, I could go on for days with more available information if you would like to understand things further and deeper if you like or you are not yet entirely convinced and you would like to no more to help with an informed decision on where your heart and understanding of not having your freedoms eroded by unbridled and unsympathetic development of our wonderful natural recourse. The Gold Coast is not going to loose anything if these Developers do not build these types of Building in this location, they will just modify there plans to suit or they will build something elsewhere on the Coast, where these heights of construction are permissible that will provide for increased Tourism, Jobs and Growth, which is pretty simple and plain to understand.
Please join me to rally together and gain as much support as we can in coming months to convey in the strongest terms possible to the QLD State Government and Gold Coast City Council that we definitely do not want Multi Storey Developments anywhere on the whole Main Beach Spit Area ever! and that the 3 Storey Height Restriction be enshrined and preserved forever for that area, similar to what the Sunshine Coast did as I had been informed to preserve their Caravan Parks from being snapped up and Developed into Multi Storey Developments, instead of this annual Developer attacks on what had been enshrined in Town Planning Laws for that Area for a very long time and for very good sound reason. I certainly will for one so please come and join me, Save Our Spit, Save Our Broadwater, The Main Beach Residence Association and Gecko in doing the same.
PM, me if you would like to offer support and/or details or directions to keep you in the loop about. No offence but those that are in support of these projects to exploit our Open Green Space Vista GC Areas need not apply 
Regards,
Kurtis 
