#50Days50Ways - #36 - Delivering the Gilston shops

Over past years, there have been previous approvals for now amended development applications to deliver a small shops development in Gilston. On a number of occasions, community members have written to me seeking my (and offering their) broad support for the delivery of a small "neighbourhood centre" which might include a small cafe/takeaway or F&B outlets, a small supermarket, and maybe some other small retail/office/medical outlets. As you might expect, some residents have also expressed objections.

On 4 December, the Council approved an application for just such a centre.

Back in 2003, in the then Planning Scheme, a site just to the south of this one was flagged for such a Neighbourhood Centre, but it was ultimately removed from the scheme when an approval was provided to a site on Worley Drive for a small shops in 2017 (the Worley Drive site is now houses only). When this application was first lodged the commercial area was around 25,000m2 (quite big... and too big in my opinion!) and after much negotiation, the most recent version now recommended for approval totals a GFA of about 2500m2 (about 10% of the original application size). There's also an additional childcare centre. The application now also dedicates a significant portion of the land adjacent the creeks to the Council for environmental purposes and vegetated buffer.

There were a number of submissions objecting to the application (16), and the adjustments to the application, drastically reducing the GFA and other adjustments to certain elements, have chiefly addressed these issues.

In my election material for 2020, I committed to delivering a small shops for Gilston during this term and I am pleased to have honoured that commitment. Delivery of this project will mean Gilston residents can walk or ride to get a coffee, takeaway or occasional groceries, rather than having to drive to Nerang or Mudgeeraba, hopefully reducing some unnecessary congestion on local roads.

#Vote1Tozer #division9GC