State overrides Gold Coast council to supersize plans for abandoned Arundel Hills golf course

Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon has given the green light to the controversial plan which has divided the community, among them residents living on the edge of the former golf course. Many residents in the Arundel area have objected on the grounds of increased traffic and the loss of open space.

The government says it has received more than 1,900 community submissions on the redevelopment of the 67ha site which has been proposed by 3Group, led by Steven Kleytman.

The company had originally proposed to develop 380 new homesites on the site to house up to 1,200 people with 59 per cent of the total area dedicated to environmental protection uses and public open space.

To get the project over the line, 3Group also planned to gift a large portion of the site to nearby AB Paterson College for sporting fields and indoor stadiums.

The new sporting hub, to be accessible to community sports clubs and organisations, is set to include six tennis courts, two indoor basketball courts, two outdoor basketball courts, an indoor environmental centre for environmental studies, and an AFL-sized field to be used as a multi-purpose facility for AFL, soccer, cricket and rugby.

The proposal was given provision approval late last year by the Queensland Government’s planning regulatory body SARA (State Assessment Referral Agency) which said it was broadly satisfied with the proposal which includes the provision of koala habitat.

Scanlon says the state’s decision, via a Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI), announced today follows “exhaustive consultation with the Gold Coast council, industry stakeholders and the community”.

Under the TLPI more than 60 per cent of the site will be retained for recreation, open space and conservation.

The proposal for a minimum of 650 homes includes at least 20 per cent of that total to be dedicated to affordable housing.

The City of Gold Coast rejected the original proposal by 3Group in January this year, citing the need to retain green spaces in the city. The developer is currently appealing that decision.

In response to today’s state government decision, Acting Gold Coast Mayor Cr Donna Gates says it is “extremely disappointing”.   

“I understand the TLPI will override our city plan and as a result our officers will need to assess a new application under those provisions,” says Cr Gates.

“There were 1,840 people who signed a petition in one of the strongest ever refusals by this council, so it’s extremely disappointing that the community has again not been listened to and the council decision is cast aside.

“Locals will probably not be in favour of what is proposed. I recognise that we have a shortage of housing supply, but we also want to protect our open spaces. It’s a fine line and it makes us fearful of what could happen on other golf course across our city.”

The move to redevelop Arundel Hills Country Club was triggered by the collapse of previous owner, Zhongsheng Management, which was placed into administration in 2022. The property has been left dormant since then.

The state government now proposes that the former golf course be divided into five precincts – two residential precincts encouraging a mix of low-rise and medium density housing types including single houses, duplexes, townhouses and units.

The third precinct is to be preserved for public access, sport and recreation, while the fourth and fifth precincts are preserved for open space and conversation purposes to protect and rehabilitate koala habitat and ensure wildlife conservation.

Scanlon says the site is located close to shops, schools and key infrastructure including public transport with the state government’s decision triggered by the Gold Coast’s ongoing housing supply shortage.

“I have stepped in after council rejected a housing estate proposed for the site which fell short of the government’s minimum expectations to fully utilise this land for more affordable housing,” says Scanlon.

“There aren’t enough homes for our key workers, or young renters and ageing Gold Coasters. That’s why we’re pulling every lever in the planning system to deliver on our target in Homes for Queenslanders of one million homes by 2046.

“My decision on the Arundel TLPI means we can seize an opportunity to unlock land we have available to deliver hundreds more homes close to infrastructure and services.

“Not only will this preserve public open space and land for sport and recreation, it provides a higher level of protection to support improved biodiversity and environmental outcomes through restoration and rehabilitation of connectivity corridors.”

Under the current housing targets set by the state government, the Gold Coast needs more than 6,000 new dwellings each year, a target that it is failing to meet.

In 2023, just 4,771 residential dwellings were approved by the council, down 16 per cent from the previous year. Approvals have been hit by a severe shortage of broadacre land in the city as well as the widely publicised issues confronting high rise market.

Most high rise projects that proceed to construction on the Gold Coast are likely to be skewed to the luxury end of the market close to the beachfront, leaving affordable housing in severe undersupply.

Business News Australia has sought comment from 3Group on today’s announcement by the state government.