Spit and Broadwater

The Spit continues to be very popular with residents and visitors as a place to relax and recreate especially in the challenging year that was 2020. Its value to the Gold Coast community cannot be disputed as the public sought to enjoy our green and blue recreational areas. The commitment of so many in the community since 2003 to protecting The Spit has been justified over and over again and they will continue to watch over it during the implementation of the Master Plan and beyond. There are many positive happenings on The Spit, but still some issues that require on going advocacy and vigilance. The positives are the projects relating to the adopted Master Plan and issues relate to the cruise terminal in Phillip Park and helicopter flights.

Cruise Ship Terminal – Now Called the Oceanside Terminal – the next stage In the 2019-2020 Council Budget a sum of $1.2 million was allocated to continue to gather information for various reports on the cruise terminal and an Initial Advice Statement was lodged with the independent Coordinator General to Read more…

Generally Gecko members are pleased with The Spit Master Plan which provides for all of the public open space to be retained and enhance with either native planting and, where appropriate basic public facilities.

On Sunday 10th March the Premier, Anastasia Palaszczuk, and the Minister for Planning, Hon. Cameron Dick launched the draft Spit Master Plan at Muriel Henchman Park on The Spit. After 40 years of campaigning to protect The Spit public open space from unsuitable development we finally have a Plan. This Plan is now available for public comment via the government website www.qld.gov.au/thespit

Council has continued to spend ratepayer funds on investigations into this proposal, despite strong community opposition to this proposal as well as all previous cruise ship proposals since 2003. The resultant reports are heavily redacted especially information regarding financial and physical risks, information the community is entitled to know about! The proposal was sent to the Co-ordinator General who declined to consider it until the Spit Master Plan process is complete in late 2019.

In early December another of the weekend workshops to design the Spit Master Plan was held at SeaWorld, with representatives from the community, business and community groups present. This time the focus was on pulling together outcomes of public consultation on the 72 Options.

The Spit is a unique city asset that all Gold Coasters, regardless of where they live, can enjoy and protect. Several workshops have been held. From these detailed discussions the consultants have produced an Options Paper which is now out for public consultation. The survey concludes on 25th November – please take part.

The Spit Master Plan by Lois Levy The campaign to protect the public open space of The Spit at the Gold Coast Broadwater has been a fierce and often divisive one for over thirty years. The development industry has wanted to develop The Spit for a film set horizon tank, Read more…

Gold Coasters have been dealt a combo of low blows over the proposed oceanside cruise terminal pre-election promise from Mayor Tom Tate with LiQUiFY able to reveal multiple issues which defy belief – namely that the actual cost for the ‘modest $70 million terminal’ floated by the mayor will now be half a billion dollars – that’s right, $500 million!