Shock new photographs of flooding risk show why City must rethink Greenheart build

Flooding after Cyclone Alfred has forced a rethink of plans for the Greenheart parklands, with Mayor Tom Tate asking for the masterplan to be revisited. FULL DETAILS

Council has been forced into a rethink of plans for a giant new park at Robina after Cyclone Alfred put the land under water.

Stunning photographs obtained by this masthead show how floodwaters swamped land earmarked for later stages of the Greenheart parklands, while touching the outer perimeter of structures built for Stage 1.

The City Budget delivered last Friday lists Greenheart as a “key initiative”, with $4 million set aside for planning of future stages.

However Mayor Tom Tate said the masterplan for the park needed to be revisited in light of the flooding.

“I have undertaken an aerial inspection and asked the CEO to revisit the masterplan. Whilst I look forward to seeing that revised masterplan there are some obvious options we should consider,” Mr Tate said.

Greenheart and the Parklands two days after Cyclone Alfred crossed the coast. The hardstand areas were protected. To the far right is where the next stage will be.

“We should introduce more water elements into the masterplan, requiring the introduction of water oxygenation technology to keep the water clear.

“I am also of the view that we will need to raise the walkway 600mm and make the subsoil on the playing fields more porous, so the compacted layers are broken up. We can also encourage earthworms and other biological activity to create natural pores in the soil.

“It is likely that the access road will initially comprise ingress and egress from the same point, but provision can be retained for a more expensive connection road in years ahead.”

Greenheart and the first stage of the Parklands seven days after Cyclone Alfred crossed the Gold Coast.

Council officers are confident about the drainage features used in Stage 1, which covered 22.5ha and opened in April after a spend of $25 million.

But further stages are on the flood plain and cover 235ha, and the photographs confirmed mass water will occur across that site in major weather events.

Council said the next stage of the parklands across Mudgeeraba Creek will require water features and an assessment on the size of a concert area expected to handle up to 60,000 people.

Greenheart and the future stages of the Gold Coast’s ‘central park’.

“If we need to lower our expectations on the festival space, for example to create more water elements, we can reduce the overall capacity of that space from the current 60,000,” Mr Tate said.

“All these possibilities will come back to Council for consideration when the masterplan is revised but I remain committed to delivering this asset for the community in the heart of our city adjoining the recently opened Robina Parklands which is already proving incredibly popular.”

Greenheart and the first stage of the Parkland.

Councillor Dan Doran said Greenheart, which has been backed by 88 per cent of ratepayers in council surveys, had taught the city an important planning lesson.

“The extent of the Cyclone Alfred flooding in Greenheart Robina Parklands highlighted the courage council showed in progressing with Stage One, and also the skill of the designers to deliver it in a way that protected the infrastructure,” he said.

“Greenheart Robina Parklands has been an extraordinary success and the thousands of Gold Coasters that have visited the park since it opened would have no idea as to the extent of the Alfred flooding. That’s a credit to the City and the project team.

“What this showed is that open space parkland and sporting infrastructure can co-exist within natural flood plains when designed accordingly and with proper consideration to the environment.”

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