Westfield, the driving force behind the $1bn Coomera Town Centre project has indicated that it’s development application will be lodged with Council after mid-2011. Myer, one of the key tenants has already announced that it would like to be operating by 2013.

Designed as a transport hub, as well as shopping destination, the 150+ store centre will be built near Coomera Train Station on a 35 hectare parcel of land on Foxwell Road.  If the DA is lodged next year, construction could be underway as soon as 2012.

As part of its $90m, decade-long program, Council have purchased three new properties to set aside for parkland. The sites include a 1.1ha site in Robina, 12.6ha site in Ormeau and 21ha site in Upper Coomera.  The latter sites are slated for sporting fields and non-motorised watersports.

4 years into the program, nearly 45ha of parkland have already been purchased.

New valuations of unimproved land value on the Gold Coast has shown a 5% (on average) decline.  Prestige and waterfront suburbs were hit hardest with Mermaid Beach, Surfers Paradise and Paradise point down 29%, 18% and 15% respectively.

It was not doom and gloom however, Coomera and Ormeau – outer land-rich suburbs recorded gains of 20% and 15% each.  Ten other, similarly categorised suburbs recorded single-digit growth, with the remainder of the Gold Coast static or falling in the last two years.

Under a new plan released by the Gold Coast City Council, housing density in the rapidly-growing Northern Corridor suburb of Coomera could be significantly increased.

With the population of the area expected to burgeon in coming years, Council are suggesting that a shift from the typical quarter-acre block to more dense high-rise living will be required to house the new residents.

The idea of up to 15-storey buildings in the suburb has upset some residents and received criticism from several industry insiders, including Bill Morris author of the Midwood Report who feels that such high density in an area where people are looking for affordable, large homesites “may have the effect of ceasing development”.

The highest density will be built around the Coomera Town Centre – which incorporates the train station and is also earmarked for future State Government facilities, including a community centre, pool and library.  At a planned density of 200 dwellings per hectare, it is comparable to parts of Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach.  Further out, densities are planned to range between 25 and 150 dwellings per hectare.

If the plan is implemented, it will be an interesting test of Council’s planned ‘new urbanism’.  Few can argue against the fact that given the Gold Coast’s rate of population growth higher density living will form an integral part of any future housing developments, however there is still thought to be a certain reluctance for people to give up the idea of ‘the Great Australian Dream’ for apartment living.