First look at $20m makeover of Gold Coast’s biggest park

The Gold Coast’s largest park is to undergo a makeover costing more than $20 million, creating world class sporting facilities.

An overview of the planned revamp of Pizzey Park in Miami.

THE Gold Coast’s largest park is to undergo a makeover costing more than $20 million, creating world class sporting facilities.

Councillors at a committee meeting today unanimously backed a draft masterplan for Pizzey Park in a major win for area councillor Pauline Young, who put aside $100,000 from her area budget to kick start rejuvenating the “fragmented” community facility.

Green links in the Pizzey Park masterplan on the Gold Coast.

The Miami sporting precinct, just 1km west of the beach, under the masterplan changes will boast:

* A $19 million redevelopment of its aquatic centre, bringing it to international standard.

* An Olympic standard skate-BMX precinct able to host national and international events.

* Improved pedestrian access along an 800m stretch to the planned light rail station near the Miami High School.

Planed new sporting facilities.

* Expansion of the tennis facility, making it the largest in the State.

* Development of The Hub, which would include a central meeting place with a cafe and playground.

* Development of a regional athletics track which can cater for school carnivals.

Cr Young said residents could comment on the draft masterplan through a Have Your Say survey during November.

A view of plans for The Hub, which will have a central meeting place with a cafe and a playground.

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Initial consultation earlier this year saw council obtain 1400 responses to an online survey and 10 formal submissions from clubs.

Design work had begun for the skate park with construction due to start in 2020, Cr Young said.

Stage one of the 15-year project would see the aquatic centre upgrade begin in December in a project that could take 12 to 15 months to complete.

Cr Young told the meeting her decision to push for a masterplan occurred after feedback from residents that the much loved area had safety problems due to roads inside the park, poor lighting and inadequate use of the fields.

The makeover is expected to cost more than $20 million.

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“It supports thousands of people coming through there every week, not just for sporting but recreation. It’s a 60 hectare site that’s grown ad hoc over the years,” she said.

“To be able to bring it all together there and create a community hub as well – we have a lot of sporting fields but it is not actually well connected, through a plan for five, ten, fifteen years we will have the majority of parking and vehicle access to the external part of the three entries.

A view of the proposed skate park precinct.

“We will have a green spine going through the centre there. Kids and families will be able to move through the park without actually having to cross a road, which I think is a great outcome.”