The Mayor of the Gold Coast has rejected allegations he has a conflict of interest in a proposed high-rise development.

Reports say Gold Coast City Mayor Tom Tate and a business partner bought the Surfers Paradise Bowling Club greens in 2007, after pushing the club not to sell to an interested developer. The club was encouraged by a deal brokered by Cr Tate which saw it allied with a nearby business group, which was meant to funnel customers onto the bowling green.

But the businesspeople never turned up, and the plan to fix the club's financial woes failed. At that point a stipulation of the agreement was enacted, which saw Cr Tate and his business partner buy the bowls club for $770,000.

The club alleges developers had initially offered them millions.

The Mayor absented himself from a council vote on a recent application to build a 52-storey apartment building on the site. However, political rival and executive director of the Palmer United Party in Queensland, Susie Douglas, says the decision should be called off.

“He does have a conflict - the councillors are feeling compromised, I am sure,” she said.

“They are in the planning committee and they are looking at a situation that's going to make the Mayor very, very wealthy.

“I don't think while the Mayor's there anything should be done. I think it is very important that public interest is put before his.”

Mayor Tate rejected the allegations with a grammatically challenging response.

“I'm one citizen of the Gold Coast who's willing to roll up the sleeve and have a go. To have a mayor out there to create local jobs and putting money where my mouth is in our city,” he said.

“I think that will lead the way to other people willing to have a go at it.”