First glimpse: the council’s plans for buildings to look like around light rail routes

The council has given the first glimpse of what high rise towers should look like next to light rail with designs showing buildings along with podiums covering the most of a development site.

THE council has given the first glimpse of what high rise towers should look like next to light rail with designs showing buildings along with podiums covering the most of a development site.

Councillors at full council ticked off The Spit master plan implementation to go the State Government where debate focused on commercial helicopter services and need for underground car parks on new commercial sites.

What light rail on the Gold Coast will look like in urban growth areas.

But a 170-page report prepared by officers reveals the council’s intentions with the light rail renewal area across the next 20 years.

Graphics show the tram route snaking along the coastline with high rise development on the eastern and western sides of the track.

“The light rail will be the catalyst to transform the city into a highly connected, compact city with vibrant centres, specialist precincts and urban renewal corridors,” the report said.

High rise buildings along with “outside mixed use or specialist centres” would be accommodated at Labrador, Southport, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Burleigh to the Miami-Nobby headland, and Coolangatta and Rainbow Bay.

The type of medium rise buildings to be built around light rail in urban areas on the Gold Coast.

The report has triggered alarm among community groups with the Main Beach Association leader Sue Donovan contact area councillor Darren Taylor.

“The question is, is this really what they intend for at Main Beach and other residential suburbs,” Ms Donovan told the Bulletin.

“I guess at the least the City Plan amendments are on hold for a while which gives time to lobby against this obscenity. This will be the next battle to fight.

“This explains the recent development applications for the Monaco and the 37-storey development on Main Beach Parade.”

Graphic showing the future course of light rail on the Gold Coast.

The Coast required around 130,000 new dwellings and 150,000 new jobs to support population growth over the next 20 years, the report said.

“The Gold Coast cannot build its way out of congestion. We simply do not have room to accommodate the forecast increase in road use over the next 10 to 20 years,” the report said.

About two thirds of the growth will occur the so-called urban consolidation areas and the remain one-third of new dwellings in the expansion area around Coomera, Pimpama and Upper Coomera in the city’s north.

The urban renewal will see an intentional city shape emerge designed to avoid urban sprawl, the report said.

The council confirmed that across the next 10 to 20 years it would investigate extending the light rail network to Robina, Bundall, The Spit, and the Gold Coast Airport.

“While these places are expected to change under this City Plan, change will only occur after these investigations are undertaken and any amendments to the City Plan are completed,” the report said.

Future urban growth projections around the light rail corridor on the Gold Coast.

The greatest degree of vibrancy and social and economic activity in the city will occur in centres that support high frequency public transport hubs like Southport CBD, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, Robina and Coomera.

“The city’s tallest buildings will continue to be located in Southport, Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, enhancing the city’s iconic skyline views and building towards our status as a world-class city,” the report said.

“Outside these areas, medium and high-rise buildings will be concentrated in mixed use centres and specialist centres to reinforce urban legibility, centre identity, sense of place and specific urban neighbourhoods.”

Those urban neighbourhoods include Labrador, Southport, Main Beach, Surfers Paradise, Broadbeach, the Burleigh to Miami/Nobby headland and Coolangatta and Rainbow Bay.

EARLIER:

LIGHT rail has been a stunning success, boosting development and increasing travellers and pedestrians, according to a new report.

Councillors will receive the Building Our City-Light Rail Corridor update report at a planning committee meeting today. The Bulletin can reveal the key findings are:

* A 61.8 per cent increase in average daily trips on the light rail from 2014 to 2018-19.

* More than 8500 dwellings approved during 2018 and 2019.

* A 180 per cent increase in pedestrians along Hooker Boulevard between Broadbeach South station and Pacific Fair Shopping Centre from 2013 to 2018.

MILLIONS TO BE SPENT ON TRAM BUSINESS CASE TO AIRPORT

The light rail is a big success according to a new council report. Picture Glenn Hampson

CRITICS BLAST TATE OVER LIGHT RAIL PROPOSAL

The report said the number of daily patronage trips had increased across a five-year period from 18,196 to 29,433, largely due to Stage 2 to Helensvale being completed.

The transfer from train to light rail at Helensvale station had increased from 199,093 in 2017-18 to 421,332 in 2018-19.

By comparison, for the same period, light rail to train transfer increased from 204,574 to 434,574.

WHAT PALM BEACH RESIDENTS REALLY THINK OF TRAM EXTENSION

The Broadbeach South station is busy and it will only get busier when Light Rail Stage 3 opens.

Total trips had increased from 6.2 million in 2014-15 to 10.7 million in 2018-19.

Traffic had decreased by 47 per cent in Scarborough Street at Southport, was down by 16 per cent at the Ada Bell Way at the Gold Coast Highway and by 17 per cent at the Elizabeth Street and Margaret Avenue intersection.

Stage 3 is now under construction.

“The number of vehicles at the measured sites continues to decrease with the most notable drops at Scarborough Street in Southport and the Gold Coast Highway at Broadbeach,” the report said.

“Interestingly, in regards to the east-west connections into Surfers Paradise, there has been an increase observed at Via Roma, with commensurate decrease along Thomas Drive.”