Last day of consultation for scaled-down Songcheng theme park development at Carrara

THE CHINESE theme park developer behind plans for a $600 million attraction at Carrara has unveiled the latest plans for their controversial development and there’s plenty of changes.

An image of a Songcheng theme park in China.

A GIANT fibreglass Uluru and a replica of the Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour are gone from the latest plans, but Chinese theme park developer Songcheng still hopes to build the world’s biggest indoor ski centre on its 45ha site at Carrara.

The company has released its first images of Australian Legends World since chairman Huang Qiaoling produced his hand-drawn sketch of the idea after buying the land for $55 million in 2016.

The preliminary designs have also swapped a quirky man-made network of boat-filled waterways for an expansion and rejuvenation of existing wetland areas, which the company says say will mitigate the risk of exacerbated flood levels from the site.

WHAT COAST THINKS OF $600M THEME PARK

The first idea for Songcheng’s Australian Legends World at Carrara.

Boardwalks and viewing areas will be created throughout the wetlands, which are hoped to attract an array of native wildlife.

The group says the revised project will cost more than $400 million to build and will include a 5200 sqm indoor ski slope, the first of its kind in Australia.

It will also feature an Eat Street-style casual dining precinct, a large enclosed entertainment centre for cultural shows, smaller performance areas and an outdoor adventure style playground.

There will also be a luxurious villa for Mr Huang to stay in when he visits, a group of shops and three residential areas of varying density ranging from apartment towers to exclusive riverside homes.

Songcheng Group Chairman Qiaoling Huang talks with Chinese Consul-General Dr Yongchen Zhao and Mayor Tom Tate. Picture Glenn Hampson

The group’s Australian consultant, Roland Evans, said the site would be engineered to ensure the risk of flooding would not increase because of the project.

“The area of the site to be developed is an extension of existing higher land, formalised by a balance cut-fill engineering approach, that is an accepted and encouraged engineering approach,” he said.

“This approach means that there is the same flood storage before and after development, so flood waters aren’t pushed elsewhere.”

Mr Evans said the precinct was not a conventional theme park, as it lacked roller-coasters and thrill rides. It would be more of an “entertainment park”.

“It will be an entertainment park, a different and new entertainment offering for the city, that is more comparable to the (new cultural centre) HOTA than our existing theme parks,” he said.

The group submitted its preliminary plans just before Christmas, revealing the site would also include a mix of low, medium and high-density housing.

A group of about 15 Carrara residents rallied in protest against it last month, worried it would exacerbate flooding in the suburb.

Canford Group's Roland Evans. Photo: Supplied

The temperature-controlled indoor ski slope would be the first in Australia with real snow, as opposed to a synthetic surface, and would be suitable for beginners and intermediate skiers and adaptable to allow competitions to be held there.

The main entertainment theatre would host a theatrical show, of the scale and complexity of Cirque du Soleil, wholly enclosed within the theatre building, Mr Evans said.

Access would be from Nerang-Broadbeach Rd via Lakeview Dr, however the site is split by the State Government’s Intra Regional Transport Corridor, which could provide an alternative entry if that proceeds as the mooted alternative motorway.

“We have conducted detailed traffic modelling, which has been used to assist with our designs for upgrades to the local road network, including the Nerang-Broadbeach Rd-Chisholm Rd-Lakeview Drive intersection, to ensure the network can adequately cater for existing and new traffic,” Mr Evans said.

“These discussions with our traffic expert colleagues in State Government and council are continuing as we refine design and upgrade requirements to this local road network.”

Mr Evans said the project would create 620 on-site jobs and 1000 off-site positions as the city wound down after the Commonwealth Games.