A GOLD Coast City councillor has warned future residents of the huge Cobaki Estate next to the Queensland border could be charged extra to use public sports fields on the Gold Coast.

Cr Chris Robbins who represents the area from Tallebudgera south to Coolangatta has warned her council staff are concerned at the staging of the estate by Leda Developments which might allow the first 900 homes to go ahead before a sports field is built.

She said Gold Coast City Council several years ago had begun charging Tweed residents for the use of its libraries, particularly the Coolangatta library.

The strategy had been so successful reduced pressure on the library allowed a staff member to be redeployed to another understaffed library on the Gold Coast.

If sufficient sports fields were not built early enough in the Cobaki Estate – where 5000 homes are eventually planned – she said her council could begin charging Tweed residents for the use of Gold Coast sportsgrounds.

She rejected claims by Leda spokesman Reg van Rij last week that Gold Coast sporting clubs had already been asking his company if they could use future Cobaki facilities.

“That is because we have an inadequate supply ourselves,” she said.

“We are out there looking to buy land. We are actually looking your side of the border.

“Our officers are concerned about the staging.

“If you get 900 homes (in Cobaki) and haven’t built the first sports field, that’s 900 families looking for somewhere to go.

“We are also very concerned how much of the open space is going to be sports fields,” she added, pointing out that environmental buffer zones and even playgrounds would not suffice for “active sports playing” areas.

Cr Robbins said she hoped Leda would bring forward its planned construction of sporting facilities to help it sell blocks of land.

“It’s to the developer’s own advantage to do that so they can sell houses,” she said.

As the plans stood, she said, the developer would not be selling early buyers “a complete lifestyle package”.

Cr Robbins has also voiced concern that traffic from Cobaki could cause “gridlock” on the Gold Coast Highway at Tugun.

“We have an inadequate supply (of sports fields) ourselves”