https://www.facebook.com/103864547897132/

Wayne Purcell for Better Planning Gold Coast

Home
Australia
Gold Coast, QLD
Wayne Purcell for Better Planning Gold Coast

This page is dedicated to raising and discussing planning and other issues of relevance to the GC I have been a Gold Coaster since 2005.
(1)

I have worked in environmental management and tourism. My work has ensured infrastructure and development projects take into consideration local environmental and social issues. Recently, I have been looking after my two young children while completing my Masters in Development Practice. I enjoy the outdoor lifestyle of the Gold Coast; cycling with the kids, kayaking our waterways and hiking our National Parks. I believe government exists to serve and provide for its residents. People should be able to live, work and play locally for a great lifestyle. My aim is for page visitors to engage with the issues and, in doing so, potentially bring about some positive change to the Gold Coast. I look forward to hearing from you.

11/11/2025

Much has been said about the closure of the Esplanade. And honestly, both sides have a point -

- More space for people is great
- But it’s caused traffic headaches
________________________________________
𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞

Surfers Paradise has one of the highest population densities in Australia — especially when you factor in hotel guests and AirBnB visitors. It’s comparable to Sydney or Melbourne CBDs.

Yet, beyond the beach, there’s barely any open space for people to gather, relax, or connect.
________________________________________
𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐜’𝐬 𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐬𝐬

Surfers is hemmed in — you can only enter from the north or south via the GC Highway, or try your luck through Chevron Island. In central Surfers, the Esplanade was one of just three southbound routes.

Closing it forces traffic to merge with Remembrance Dr and Thomas Dr traffic. It’s a pinch point. And we all know how well that works.

Light Rail only brings in so many people, and there are just three bus routes through Surfers — two of which shadow the tram and run infrequently.
________________________________________
𝐈𝐬 𝐈𝐭 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐈𝐭?

Surfers needs more open space. And yes, Council’s Esplanade closure tries to deliver that.

But it’s come at the cost of connectivity.

If Surfers wants to attract locals — not just tourists — it needs better transport links and more places for people to enjoy once they arrive.
________________________________________
𝐀 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚?

Three years ago, I suggested Council buy the Forum Arcade and turn it into a town square. It’s 5,200m² — slightly larger than the Esplanade section that’s now closed.

It’s central, linking Surfers Paradise Blvd and Orchid Ave. The cost would be similar (or less) than yet another Cavill Ave revamp. Council have shown in recent time they're more than capable of buying up property

Crucially, it adds open space without removing traffic routes.

The Gold Coast Bulletin picked up the idea at the time. I don’t believe the Forum Arcade has changed hands — so maybe it’s still worth pursuing.
________________________________________
𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤

I hope the QLD Government’s review (after shelving GCLR4) looks at this holistically.

Surfers needs better public transport links with its western neighbours — Bundall, Benowa, Ashmore, Broadbeach Waters, and southern Southport. That means buses and green bridges, not just trams.
________________________________________
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭

Does the Esplanade need to be closed off to create better public spaces?

I don’t think so.

It’s already pedestrian-friendly — a 30km/h speed limit with wide footpaths accommodating pedestrians and bike riders (except when the markets are on!). Most of Council’s temporary upgrades have been off the road, not on!

In my view, money would be better spent creating new open spaces — like a town square

13/09/2025

There's been quite the assortment of reactions to the decision to not proceed with Stage 4 of Light Rail.

"Short-sighted" "neglected" "dumb" are some of the words being used. Another one is "political".

Proponents seemingly have a deeply-held view that light rail is the only way to deliver better public transport. Thus, the only way the decision to not proceed is that it's a political one.

In doing so, it suggests, along with the other words being used, the decision is wrong.

However, it's worthwhile checking out what the State Development Department concluded as part of their review (link to their report in the comments). 3 main themes are present -

𝐁𝐈𝐀𝐒

Council has held an intrinsic bias towards light rail. TMR, in preparing the Preliminary Evaluation, continued this bias, affecting their consideration of alternatives. This then flowed through to community consultation, resulting in only light rail being presented to residents.

Other options have not been adequately considered. That is definitely something for proponents to reflect on.

𝐃𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘

The review noted Stage 4 is the longest and most complex stage with approvals and regulatory processes potentially impacting timeframes. The Preliminary Evaluation, however, was based on construction starting in Jun 2026 and taking only 4.5 years.

The review considers this "optimistic".

Also highlighted is -

- the demand for skilled workers in construction and engineering is outpacing supply, creating bottlenecks in project delivery

- the priority to deliver other infrastructure in the lead-up to Brisbane 2032

The review concludes delivery of another significant public transport construction project is not deliverable in the short-term.

(It's also something Council has identified as this was cited as a reason for not proceeding with a new office building in Southport)

𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐓

The cost of Stage 3 has doubled since the Business Case was prepared for it ($750 million v $1.55 billion currently). Cost over-runs has become the norm, with no projects in TMR's Infrastructure Program under budget ($6.7 billion over).

It's been suggested the $9.85 billion figure was plucked from thin air and is "gold-plated". It's actually an extrapolation of the figure provided by the Preliminary Evaluation and the previous State Government by considering a more realistic timeframe of construction commencement and duration, and the resultant cost increases.

My question for those who still want light rail is - at what cost would you change your mind (noting the previous 3 stages have only cost $2.1 billion)?

I might be being naive, but taking all that into consideration, the decision not to proceed seems fiscally responsible and a reflection of where things are currently at.

The response from Council, Councillors, the State Opposition and business "leaders", however, maybe that's "political" (or, maybe even "rabid"?)!

23/08/2025

Good morning northern Gold Coasters!

What a great day to head down to the beach (in comparison to many others recently at least!). But, for anyone considering taking Cr Hammel's advice^ of using LR to get there, there's a few reasons why that's not the best idea -

𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐄𝐃

Despite the voiceover on the train telling people to switch to LR at Helensvale, it's actually 21min quicker to get off at Nerang and catch the #745 bus to Broadbeach. For Surfers, it's also quicker (catching the #740). The further south you go, the more sense it makes to take the train and then a connecting bus

𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

Only 5% of people that get on LR at Helensvale go all the way to Broadbeach~. That's because it's a 45min trip. What should be known to anyone involved in transport planning and decision-making is that people, over history, have shown a tendency to only want to travel 30min (known as Marchetti's constant*)

𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐈𝐓𝐘

The daily congestion issues on the M1 highlights what happens if you try and funnel everyone onto a single part of the transport system. Dealing with thousands of people coming down to the coast means spreading them out, using all the train stations and switching to buses to get to various parts of the coast, not all jumping on LR at Helensvale. LR will not cope with demand if it's all we have

If we're looking to do right by northern Gold Coasters when it comes to public transport, we need more train services and better interconnecting bus services. The idea Stage 4 is for all the GC is one of the most ridiculous things that continues to get trotted out.

Our obsession with LR needs to stop if we are to have a proper, city-wide public transport system that can help address growing congestion issues

~ Analysis of Origin-Destination Ticketing Data Jul 2019

27/07/2025

"If that's the trajectory of this city, we can't rely on a bus" - CEO of GC Airport

The trajectory being projected growth in passenger numbers for the airport - 6.2 million/yr to 13 million

I really don't understand this continual putting down of buses.

Because buses can easily deal with this predicted demand for public transport to / from the airport

Putting aside for a moment whether the growth predictions are accurate^ (GCAL have drastically overestimated growth previously), here are the numbers -

13 million annual passengers works out to be around 650k passengers in January (the busiest month). That's 21k/day.

Even allowing for the increase in PT patronage predicted by the airport in their Masterplan (16%), that works out to be 3,360 PT passengers. Spreading across 12hrs (a conservative estimate), that's only 280/hr. A double-decker bus (50 seats) can cover that with a frequency of 1 every 10min

It should be noted that Melbourne Airport has had >30 million passengers pass through its terminals in a year. Their SkyBus service carries >2.2 million passengers. There is no rail link, although it's apparently finally on its way, at a cost >$13 billion!

^As for those growth projections for GC Airport, the Feds think it will only be 10.2 million by 2044, not 13 million.

Let's hope the review currently being undertaken by the State Government is done properly and isn't just vibes put on paper. That's already been done to death by the media.

17/07/2025

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭

"If you lead, they will follow."
"Actions speak louder than words."
"If you want something done, do it yourself"

All well-worn phrases to describe where we're at with Southport.

For years, Council and the State Government have said Southport is the Gold Coast's “CBD.” Although, suggestions Southport has never been, isn't or shouldn't be, the CBD belies history, its location and how urban renewal / infill development occurs -

- Southport was the city's original heart:
- The main township for decades
- Home to Council chambers and the first hospital
- Terminus of the railway line from Brisbane

But it’s been undermined by previous government decisions:

- Ripping up the railway line
- Moving Council to Bundall
- Focusing on Robina
- Relocating the hospital near Griffith Uni (a very worthwhile move, but not ideal for downtown Southport at the time)

Despite this, Southport remains:

- The area with 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐣𝐨𝐛𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭
- Central and highly accessible
- Rich in space and potential

There are 𝟖𝐡𝐚 𝐨𝐟 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐃𝐀 alone—enough for 𝟏𝟐,𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝐝𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 (based on typical apartment sizing and 30-storey density). This is the kind of strategic, urban infill opportunities cities around the world dream of (Brisbane is struggling to find space for Olympic infrastructure)

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞

If Council and the State Government truly want a showcase CBD, in my opinion, they must lead by example:

𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 & 𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞

- Return Council chambers to Southport
- Establish satellite offices for State and Federal public servants
- Introduce Supreme and Family Courts
- Facilitate a recreational / tourist marina at Howard's Landing

𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 & 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

- Frequent, direct, and simple bus routes from surrounding suburbs
- Introduce ferry services to Labrador, Runaway Bay, Paradise Point & South Stradbroke
- Build iconic active transport bridges connecting to Broadwater Parklands

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐦 & 𝐔𝐫𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐥

- Develop town squares at Woodroffe Park, Mal Burke or Athol Paterson car parks
- Crack down on land banking (higher rates on vacant, reinvest in public infrastructure)
- Green boulevards on Scarborough and Nind Streets

Like a teenager brimming with potential, Southport needs leaders who believe in it—who invest time, resources, and energy to help it thrive.

Council and the State Government need to be those leaders and lead by doing

Is there anything else you think is needed in Southport?

14/07/2025

What's the deal with Experience, Invest & Brand Gold Coast?

Some of you may be aware, Council used to have a bunch of subsidiary entities -

- Destination Gold Coast
- Major Events Gold Coast
- Placemakers Gold Coast
- Study Gold Coast
- HOTA

In their last year of operating (2022-23), they cost Council $55 million.

In their place, Council created 3 new entities -

- Experience Gold Coast
- Invest Gold Coast
- Brand Gold Coast

We were told it would result in $6.8 million in direct savings. Apparently there was duplication or something

Anyway, this year's budget has allocated $87 million to these entities.

That's $32 million more than previous. It's 58% more, when inflation over the last 3 years has only been 19%.

It's also more than / the same as Council has allocated to Sport and Recreation and Aquatic Centres ($87 million), Libraries and Community Centres ($66 million), Lifeguards, Community Safety and Public/Env Health ($39 million), Community Group Support and Grants ($19 million).

The Chair of Invest Gold Coast is on $150,000/yr. The former chair of Destination Gold Coast was paid $30,000/yr.

The Chair also sits on the Board of Experience Gold Coast. The Mayor and CEO of Council also sit on both Boards.

Meanwhile, Tourism & Events Qld has a budget > $150 million. Its Chair's remuneration is $35,000/yr

I don't know much about what they're doing, maybe I'm missing something, but I have questions -

- Why has the budget grown so much?
- Why is Council spending so much given other priorities and other organisations working in this space?
- Why does the Mayor and CEO get a seat at the table?
- Are meeting minutes public like Council's are required to be?

03/07/2025

Council's process of developing a new planning scheme is ticking along!

A 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲 (link in the comments) is now open 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝟕 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 looking for residents' feedback on the overarching strategy on how the GC is to grow over the next 25yrs.

It follows consultation that took place late last year, resulting in their "𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲"

I am encouraged by the approach. It aligns with much of what I have raised here over the years. It's worth reading through the 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 before completing the survey if you have time to help inform your thoughts.

A brief summary -

𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆

The current planning scheme can accommodate the required number of dwellings. But, it focuses most of the growth along the coastal corridor, which is not considered ideal as it -

- doesn't align with community needs
- is too focused on high-rises, impacting housing affordability and diversity
- is difficult for the industry to deliver in a timely manner

Additional housing in well-serviced areas outside the coastal corridor can ease development pressures in coastal suburbs

Growth can be accommodated within existing urban areas without the need to extend into rural production or green spaces

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐑𝐓 / 𝐈𝐍𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐄

Infrastructure, with the exception of transport, can accommodate anticipate growth within the broad scope of future network planning

The transport network is struggling to cope with existing and future growth. The way people move around the GC will need to shift over time

𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐓𝐇 𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐍

The Directions Paper proposes "well-planned and distributed growth" across the GC. It is to be achieved through 3 growth typologies -

𝐂𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬: Places for people to live, work, and play
𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐬: Better access and connectivity
𝐍𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬: Balancing growth and character

Of course, how the above formulates into a planning scheme will determine its acceptance and success.

But, for now, I feel the direction proposed is much better than what we have currently. There is also acknowledgement that developing our transport network is integral to having the GC grow in a more socially, economically and environmentally sustainable manner.

25/06/2025

Acting Mayor, Cr Hammel, is not happy with the State budget. He says the GC is being taken for granted because there's no funds to finish the Business Case for Light Rail Stage 4.

The reality is this year's budget is by far the biggest in terms of capital expenditure for the GC in the last 13 years.

There's more than just light rail to spend money on.

I get the desire for more. We hear it so often from the Mayor wanting the State to pay for this, or the Feds to pay for that.

Having the title of Acting Mayor doesn't actually require acting like the Mayor.

(thanks to Suburban Futures for the graph)

24/06/2025

Are international routes coming back to Gold Coast Airport?

There's been a few quotes from the Mayor and Paul Donovan, former chairman of Destination Gold Coast, that don't paint a rosy picture, despite the recent commencement of flights to Hamilton and Dunedin in NZ.

Both (I'll add the full quotes in the comments) suggest we need to get used to heading up to Brisbane to catch direct international flights.

This, unfortunately, is no surprise and blaming COVID won't help given -

1. International passenger movements into / out of GC Airport peaked in 2016 (at 1.1M)

2. We had direct flights to Japan, Singapore and Malaysia post-COVID but they stopped operating in the last 1-2 years

3. International passenger movements into / out of Australia have returned close to pre-COVID numbers (97%), while GC Airport sits around only 67%*

The powers-that-be have been slow to acknowledge how GC Airport is faring with reality falling well short of growth predictions -

- The 2017 GCA Masterplan thought we'd have 1.8 million international passenger movements in 2024 (it was 640,000)

- The 2024 GCA Masterplan thinks we'll have 1.8 million in 2034. That requires year-on-year growth of 20%

As mentioned in a previous post^, demand for international routes in Australia comes mostly from local residents (only 16% of passengers on international flights are overseas tourists travelling for holiday reasons).

The catchment of GC Airport is simply too small because of where it's located (and light rail won't make it any bigger).

22/05/2025

Council has purchased the big blue building in Bundall. It follows last year’s purchase of the adjacent Wyndham building.

This raises questions about the prospect of Council relocating to Southport. Putting aside the financials for a minute (more on that in another post), there's been some interesting remarks made on the issue, attributed to a Council "source" and advice to Council -

*** 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡-𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ***

This contradicts agglomeration economics and urban development patterns.
Government is a major employer and consultancy generator—why else are our capital cities the largest? Bundall’s office precinct is proof Council attracts businesses.

*** 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐝𝐬 ***

Southport has extensive transport options—light rail, bus routes, and major roads—while Bundall lacks them. Many Council staff must drive, park at the racecourse, and take a ratepayer-funded shuttle.

*** 𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐞 “𝐰𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐂𝐁𝐃” ***

Perhaps, but given Council is the city’s second-largest employer after Qld Health, what would do it faster?

*** 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝟏𝟓 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐭 ***

The City Plan designated Southport as the only CBD on the Gold Coast back in 2016—it has the capacity and needs the investment.

If Council won’t invest, why should anyone else? Is the new Masterplan being hamstrung before anyone's seen it?

*** “𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝟏,𝟓𝟎𝟎 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬—𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰—𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧” ***

Work-from-home affects weekdays, not weekends! Look at other cities’ CBDs and their weekend activity.

*** 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐥’𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟑𝟐 𝐎𝐥𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬: “𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐚 𝐧𝐨-𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫. 𝐀𝐧 𝐍𝐁𝐋 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐤𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬” ***

An NBL team plays at home just 14 times a year—how does that drive more activity than Council’s workforce operating 250 days annually?

And isn’t the arena meant to be privately funded? Can’t they walk and chew gum at the same time?

12/05/2025

You might have heard Council is in the process of developing a new planning scheme. Following on from the Urban Change Readiness process late last year, Council is now looking for local residents to participate in the next stage -

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

There are 2 options available for community members to be involved -

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟏: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 – An online panel of 300 people who will collaborate through a secure online portal for panel members throughout the development of the new Planning Scheme (approximately 2 years).

𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝟐: 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 – A 20-person group that will meet quarterly in person throughout the development of the new Planning Scheme (approximately 2 years) made up of diverse representation of community members from across the city.

I imagine some people might be a little cynical over the process, thinking "what's the point?". But, like the old NT tourism ad, you'll never never know if you never never go!

This is your chance to put forward ideas, to highlight concerns with the existing scheme in the hope of seeing positive change. It's a chance to work together rather than push and shove online

I've filled in my EOI. Who's (hopefully) joining me?

01/05/2025

The saying goes, "Build it and they will come." But as we've seen*—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀!

The Federal government is potentially on the hook for $𝟯 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 for Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 4. This, however, would only increase public transport trips by 𝟭𝟯.𝟱% citywide above the base case in 2041 (from 156,000 to 177,000 trips per day).

But what if we invested smarter?

For 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 $𝟭 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻, the Federal government could generate a $𝟭𝟬𝟬𝗠 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿. This would be enough to 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹e 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 on the Gold Coast!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲?

✅ 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀, meaning less waiting and more convenience
✅ 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬-𝟳𝟬%, based on research into service frequency^

𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁*:

Brampton redesigned its bus network and made 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹-𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.

The result? Public transport usage has 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝟱.𝟳% 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗻-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵! (for comparison, it's been 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝟭.𝟴% 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗖 𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗹)

Apply that model to the Gold Coast, and we’d 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱 the gains from Stage 4 of Light Rail

✅ A redesigned bus network, following the 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹, could push PT trips to 𝟯𝟳𝟲,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟰𝟭—𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗖𝗟𝗥 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝟰 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻!

✅ A mode share of 𝟭𝟮.𝟴%, hitting the city’s 𝟭𝟮% 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲:

Better and more frequent bus services is how we can achieve our PT goals and prevent congestion growing beyond annoyance levels!!

It can be done for a fraction of the cost and Council wouldn't need to pay a cent!

Address

Gold Coast, QLD

Website

facebook.com

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Wayne Purcell for Better Planning Gold Coast posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Wayne Purcell for Better Planning Gold Coast:

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Gold Coast?

Better Planning for a Better Gold Coast

This page is dedicated to raising and discussing planning and other issues of relevance to the Gold Coast.

I have been a Gold Coaster since 2005. I have worked in environmental management and tourism. My work has ensured infrastructure and development projects take into consideration local environmental and social issues.

Recently, I have been looking after my two young children while completing my Masters in Development Practice. I enjoy the outdoor lifestyle of the Gold Coast; cycling with the kids, kayaking our waterways and hiking our National Parks.

I believe local governments exist to serve and provide for its residents. People should be able to live, work and play locally for a great lifestyle.