Offshore cruise ships terminal tensions as draft Spit master plan is finalised

Gold Coast City Council is furious about the time frame given to respond to The Spit draft master plan after they were given a very tight deadline to “consider their response” to a serious of “significant issues.”

THE council is furious about the time frame given to respond to The Spit draft master plan.

Documents available to the public show consultants to the Government explored the option of a 3750sq m oceanside cruise ship terminal and another with a combined floor space of 5000sq m catering for 4000 passengers.

Those documents show a much bigger terminal will encroach on land at Philip Park, ruling out other options including improved coastal parkland.

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The new site for an oceanside cruise ship terminal at Philip Park. Pic by David Clark

Councillors again went into a closed session at full council yesterday, and when the meeting returned to open there was no debate.

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But a series of recommendations flag tensions in the master plan memorandum of understanding signed off with the Government.

Mayor Tom Tate successfully moved that the draft Spit master plan issue be moved forward to next Wednesday’s meeting of the economic, environment and planning committee.

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Mayor Tom Tate with his cruise ship terminal plans. Pic by David Clark

The recommendation referred to “very significant issues” associated with the master plan and “the extremely tight time frame afforded to council to consider its response”.

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To that end, council needed to finalise its position at the next full council meeting on February 12.

In the recommendation, Cr Tate referred to the council having signed the memorandum of understanding with the Government which stated there would be “a collaborative approach”.

“The council is of the view that this approach requires a practical and realistic time frame for the council to properly discharge its decision making responsibilities in relation to a key strategic city issue,” the recommendation said.