What next for The Spit and cruise ship terminal as councillors go into closed session for debate

THE future of The Spit and the Cruise Ship Terminal were discussed during a closed council meeting today. Here are the outcomes.

COUNCILLORS have met in closed session to determine how the council could best move forward with a master plan for The Spit which includes a cruise ship terminal.

The Gold Coast Bulletin earlier this month revealed confidential sections of a report to council by consultants which showed 23 risks which could derail the CST.

Despite the Government being required to hand across State land if the project goes forward, State Development Minister Cameron Dick was not aware of the report.

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State Development Minister Cameron Dick is moving forward with a master plan for The Spit. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt)

Mr Dick is moving forward with the Government’s master planning process where the boundaries on mapping include the oceanside and Seaway locations for a CST.

Councillors at today’s economy, planning and environment committee meeting met to discuss The Spit Master Plan Memorandum of Understanding Update which was listed in closed business.

After the closed session, several recommendations by the committee to be considered by all councillors at the next full council meeting were made public.

Councillor Peter Young had abstained from the vote, and Deputy Mayor Donna Gates along with Robina’s Hermann Vorster were absent.

A recommendation confirmed the Co-ordinator General has decided not to reassess the proposed oceanside CST off Philip Park as a co-ordinated project.

The Spit at Main Beach. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

Other recommendations revealed a memorandum of understanding had been signed off by Mr Dick, and the make-up of a Spit Master Plan Community Reference Group.

Councillors agreed that Mayor Tom Tate write to Mr Dick outlining “outstanding concerns” with the MOU.

The Bulletin understands some of those concerns are about public comment during the master plan process which is likely to continue for 18 months.

As with any MOU, decisions will be made on who or which level of government talks publicly about the master plan.

Outside the council meeting, the committee chair Cameron Caldwell said there was a concern that some aspects of the MOU were not in the public’s interest in terms of “dealing with the public in a full and frank way”.

Cameron Caldwell at a council planning meeting. Picture: Richard Gosling

“We want to make sure the collaboration with the State Government is absolutely genuine,” he said.

“There’s some drafting of the MOU at the moment which would lead us to the conclusion that we wouldn’t be able to communicate with the public as we would like to on matters that relate to the master plan.”