Society & Culture Gold Coast CBD/Inner City Watch

[Matchu]

 

[Matchu]

Back to the CBD now...

Southport's Star set to sparkle

The Chinese group that paid $27.26 million for Southport's Star of the Sea site in 2013 has served up a tipple of information about its plans for the blue-chip holding.

They include Bar Street, which seems to indicate the project will feature watering holes. Also mooted are an office tower, a hotel/apartment tower, an art laneway, nosheries and retail area.

Obviously big plans are in place and this site will have uninterrupted Broadwater/Pacific Ocean views so it's nice to see a lot of thought/money being put into it. The developer, Mr Cao, has previously said he wants to turn this one into a landmark project.

If done correctly, Bar Street could really breathe a nightlife into the area which is currently non-existent. It flows right into the Nerang St pedestrian mall which will also undergo a makeover in the near future so it's all very inviting. It also connects to the Broadwater Parklands which is very scenic so I think the area could become really appealing to the locals if they do it correctly.

It's about 300 metres from a light rail station, includes an office tower to fulfill the business element of the area, an art laneway, apartment/hotel tower and a retail area so it's a project that really offers a lot and I hope it goes ahead. Fingers crossed!

 

[exile]

looks nice! gonna be a great area i reckon.

 

[Matchu]

looks nice! gonna be a great area i reckon.

I believe that area is going to open this Thursday so people will really start to understand the new vibe of Pacific Fair this week.

 

[exile]

drove past pacific fair last night. the cool wave pattern they've created along hooker boulevard was lit up. looks pretty cool. I thought it looked decent during the day, so was a bit surprised to see it lit up at night haha.

 

[Matchu]

 

[Matchu]

 

[exile]

went there today at lunch. took some photos too, will try get them uploaded later. architecturally, it's a very impressive area.

 

[Matchu]

Two night shots:

 

[Matchu]

New bars breathe life into Southport CBD after dark

SOUTHPORT’S night-life scene is coming back to life with a new bar and three restaurants set to open in the CBD.

City and business leaders said the suburb, where three years ago few traders were open past dark, was shaping as the “Broadbeach of the north” as it reaps the benefits of new infrastructure and millions of dollars of redevelopment.

New bar Swannie’s is due to open this week at 34 Nerang St, adding another live music venue to a growing list that includes, Not Tonight and Don Miguels.

Kubo’s Bar and Grill is also among a growing number of licensed restaurants to recently open their doors at Australia Fair West after a $15 million revamp.

Committee for Southport chairman John Howe said the rejuvenation of the CBD was keeping the area which was bustling during the day pumping at night.

“The light rail is bringing a lot of people into Southport from other areas,” he said.

“There is a nice vibe happening with bars like Not Tonight and new ones about to open.”

Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow said three new restaurants were opening at Australia Fair West, one of which by the owners of Southport cafe 42Fifteen will have a wine bar.


Cr Crichlow said places such as Swannie’s would attract more people to the CBD.

“It will attract other people. It is like Not Tonight and that has been very successful,” she said.

“There is a lot of things happening in Southport.”

Not Tonight co-owner Julian Luckhardt said “healthy competition” was good for the area. I say ramp it up, it gives people a destination other than Broadbeach to go to,” he said.

Mr Luckhardt said when his bar opened three years ago the Southport scene was very different, with very few places open late for people to go out for a meal or drink.

Good Bean at 32 Nerang St, opened early this year and serves Stone and Wood Pacific Ale for $5 a bottle. Owner Peter Taylor said the area needed more bars.

“People always ask, ‘where do we go for a drink?’ and I send them to Not Tonight but that is really it,” he said.

“You can see looking up the street there are eight vacant shops. We need establishments like Swannie’s to draw people back to the street.”

Mr Taylor said he could see the good times coming as the vacant shops were filled up by new businesses.

“Twelve months and this place will be buzzing.”

The revitalisation of the (Southport) CBD continues. Since nightclubs aren't allowed inside the CBD boundaries they are going to have to rely on little boutique bars like Swannie's and Not Tonight to create a night scene. Although it feels a bit 90s, I don't mind the look of Swannie's:

 

[Matchu]

Gold Coast Spit development: New Packer casino centrepiece of $3 billion project

WORK will begin as early as next March on a $3 billion casino and residential project earmarked for The Spit on the Gold Coast.

James Packer’s Crown Resorts will operate the casino and the Chinese-owned ASF Consortium will build the residential and office space in a game-changing development for the Glitter Strip.

The project will be situated between Palazzo Versace and Sea World resort and includes three towers, seven high-end restaurants and a spectacular Florida Keys-style bridge which would link The Spit to Southport to ease traffic congestion.

Sea World would also double in size, add a water park and become the biggest theme park in the country.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, Infrastructure and Planning Minister Jackie Trad and State Development Minister Anthony Lynham signed off on a process deed with ASF bosses this week and the master plan is expected to be given the green light by Cabinet before Christmas.

The development would be one of the biggest and most expensive in Queensland history, even as work starts on the $3 billion Queens Wharf integrated resort in the heart of Brisbane that is being developed by Star Entertainment.

The bold plan by Crown and ASF to make a major statement on the Gold Coast landscape could also see Star press the accelerator on the next phase of their expansion plans for Jupiters casino at Broadbeach.

ASF had previously lobbied to build a cruise ship terminal and casino/resort on the Southport Broadwater, but that proposal was shot down in flames by environmentalists and the State Government.

However, green groups are expected to give this latest project the all-clear because it does not include a cruise ship terminal or involve touching Wave Break Island.

ASF director Louis Chien said the rejection of the cruise ship project had not weakened the company’s resolve.

“We continue to believe in Queensland and in the Gold Coast,” he said.

“It’s been a long journey but it has allowed us to ensure that what we deliver is going to be something truly iconic.

“It will help raise the profile and the brand of southeast Queensland.”

It is understood ASF and Crown have been in talks for months about Crown operating the casino and hotels.

No formal agreement has been signed, but The Sunday Mail understands Crown is keen to proceed as long as the ASF master plan meets stringent quality standards.

ASF and Crown have also been in talks with Sea World and are close to an agreement on working together to expand the theme park’s footprint.

One of the major issues is traffic, and a bridge linking The Spit to Southport is the most likely option.

The ASF project could see Star fast-track plans for a “mini-Manhattan” of up to seven high-rise towers on their Broadbeach island, but Mr Chien said he was not concerned by his rivals’ plans. “We believe in the spirit of competition,” he said. “It raises the level for everyone.”

The ASF development would be a magnet for well-heeled Asian tourists.

Regardless of what anyone may think about casinos and their impact on locals, it's undeniable that a project like this would help kickstart an enormous amount of development in the Southport CBD area. A car bridge that directly links what I am going to presume will be called 'Crown Gold Coast' and the CBD would change the area completely.

The article suggests the QLD Premier has already signed off this development and it's just a case of getting the final approval from the cabinet. I guess we'll see how this one plays out but a $3 billion project is surely the largest in Gold Coast history and would obviously be a game changer for the city/CBD.

 

[exile]

bit of a surprise to see that article pop up this morning. i'd heard of packer looking at a getting casino on the gold coast, but this is the first i've heard of doing it along the spit. this, along with the sunland development will completely transform the area. sounds like it's going to get approved too.

 

[Matchu]

It's not inner city but it's newsworthy enough to post...

Competition to design massive new gateway signs for Coast

THE Las Vegas arrow, the Hollywood sign and now the Gold Coast Gateway.

The Gold Coast City Council has launched an international competition to find the best design to welcome visitors to the city as they drive, or more likely are stuck in traffic on, the M1 to the north and on the Gold Coast Highway to the south.

But the welcoming symbol might not even use the word "gateway".

The artist chosen will have to be able to work with a budget of $2 million, including the fabrication and installation of both signs.

It also includes any traffic control needed to install the signs, as well as crash barriers the length of the artwork.

The council has set a deadline of November next year for the welcoming "bookends" to be in place, to ensure they are ready for the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Four sculptures resembling silver ferns are to be installed in Surfers Paradise - a much smaller commission with fewer logistic problems - at a budget of $330,000.

The scale of the welcoming signs is also not to be sneezed at, adding to budget pressures.

A mammoth work of art up to 750m long and 11m tall can be erected between the north and southbound lanes of the M1, just south of the Albert River at Stapylton.

The southern gateway will be much smaller, measuring a maximum of just 55m long and 8m high, on the median strip of the Gold Coast Highway at Bilinga.

The design does not have to fill the whole space but cannot be bigger.

Artists will have to keep in mind that motorists will be travelling up to 110km/h and travellers must be able to read them.

The tender documents are calling for a "visually bold, expressive and memorable design".

"It is intended that these iconic gateway artworks engage both the public and the media in a robust conversation about the City of Gold Coast and the role of public art in cities, making them both remarkable and newsworthy," the documents said.

When the gateway project was briefly mentioned in the city's art plan last July, deputy mayor Donna Gates asked they be easy to recognise as welcoming markers to the city, unlike the red pillion which marks the Queensland-NSW border on the M1.

Mayor Tom Tate said "realistically" the design competition needed to be put out the world.

"Of course, I hope a local wins but that will be down to the panel and final presentations," he said.

An external, six-person panel representing a cross-section of the industry will pick the five finalists, who will then be invited to further develop their designs.

The same panel will then pick a winner from the detailed designs.

"Everyone will have a view or opinion about this work - that's the beauty of art," Cr Tate said.

As part of the tender, the council is also offering an artist's mentorship for a Gold Coast artist during the design, fabrication and installation phases.

The tender will close on December 23

 

[Experimental]

Up to 750metres long. Holy *.

 

[exile]

realistically, are any tourists going to remember a bit of artwork next to the motorway in yatala, probably the least memorable town in the gold coast? i'm all for giving the gold coast more awareness, but at a cost of up to $2m? everyone's crying out for more upgrades to the arvo carpark that is the M1. at this stage I'd rather see that money put into upgrading it rather than beautifying it.

 

[Matchu]

Up to 750metres long. Holy ****.

Pretty crazy to think the sign would stretch close to a kilometre.

realistically, are any tourists going to remember a bit of artwork next to the motorway in yatala, probably the least memorable town in the gold coast? i'm all for giving the gold coast more awareness, but at a cost of up to $2m? everyone's crying out for more upgrades to the arvo carpark that is the M1. at this stage I'd rather see that money put into upgrading it rather than beautifying it.

The M1 is a state issue. State MPs Michael Hart (Burleigh) and Jann Stuckey (Currumbin) have been campaigning for the widening of the Robina-Palm Beach stretch for a while now but the Palaszczuk government is unwilling to foot 80% of the bill because they believe Queensland is being ripped off when you compare it to the 50:50 split of funding between the two levels of government in New South Wales for the Pacific Motorway (the same road).

The M1 congestion issues in the northern suburbs aren't as easily solved. One suggested solution includes extending Nerang-Broadbeach Road (where Metricon is) in Carrara all the way to Foxwell Road in Coomera and having that four lane road run parallel to the M1. I believe the corridor for this suggested road has been protected for this very reason. I'd imagine that Coomera-Robina arterial road would ease congestion quite a bit as the problem area is Coomera and completing stage 2 of the light rail to the Helensvale train station in early 2018 will also help as less people will need to use their cars in the northern suburbs. The biggest issues are the Pimpama-Jacobs Well Road exit (Pimpama), the Foxwell Road exit (Coomera), the Smith Street exit (Southport), the Robina Town Centre Drive exit (Robina) and a few entrances to the M1 from Palm Beach to Reedy Creek.

It really has nothing to do with the City of Gold Coast council.

 

[Matchu]

New renders and plans for the $3 billion ASF casino project at The Spit were released today. The announcer claimed that ASF are "in deep discussions" with Crown/James Packer to be involved.

Note the proposed bridge in the second picture connecting the CBD directly to The Spit. Starting to looking a lot more like a real CBD in that second picture!

It's also worth noting that this render for the Star of the Sea site in the CBD was released recently:

 

[Matchu]

Who's ready for some exciting CBD news? This development application was submitted yesterday for a site in the Southport PDA. It would appear the tallest building will be around the size of the Q1. Here are some renders:

Here's hoping this one gets built as it looks amazing.

 

[Matchu]

Here's a video of another tall that's been approved in the Southport CBD. Don't worry, it won't be coloured white. It will be gold!

 

[robo_1]

The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre think tank on Thursday saw politicians and dozens of business leaders converge to discuss the future of the city in the wake of the economic turmoil wreaked by COVID-19.

No Cookies | Gold Coast Bulletin

No Cookies

www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au

10 IDEAS FLOATED AT FORUM
The Southport Chamber of Commerce suggested burying the Gold Coast Highway (Marine Pde) underground to link up the business district with the waterfront to create a world class CBD.

Urbis Gold Coast and the Property Council of Australia (Gold Coast) said Gold Coast City Council could reintroduce neighbourhood city plans in some capacity. The idea with pitched as a way to reduce pockets of discontent undermining investment certainty.

Sports Gold Coast wants to see the Gold Coast become the women’s sport capital of Australia and brand itself as such. The idea came amid a reported 300 per cent increase in women’s participation in AFL.

Study Gold Coast sought better co-operation and collaboration between educational institutions, industry and individual businesses. This would lead to more employable graduates trained to tackle the jobs of the near future.

Destination Gold Coast pushed to see a big investment in key tourism infrastructure to add layers to the city’s experience for visitors. The tourism body wants to open up the natural assets we have and provide new products for the market.

Major Events Gold Coast said venue costs are too expensive and limit the number of events held in the city. The organisation suggested the State Government could lower fees to encourage more events in the city.

The Central Chamber of Commerce floated a ‘live local, support local’ business voucher system to encourage Gold Coasters to shop local and prop up small business at an incredibly difficult time. It would be similar to a Northern Territory scheme.

Regional Development Australia believes the creation of a new Gold Coast economic bureau made of up all levels of government. This could help stimulate investment and attract new industries.

Urbis and the Property Council of Australia (Gold Coast) said red and green tape must be reduced to efficiently build light rail infrastructure and bolster city investment.

The Southport Chamber believes moving Gold Coast City Council’s chambers and administration from Bundall to Southport makes sense and would create a more identifiable CBD.