Gold Coast City Council Election 2024: Division 10 candidates battle over Surfers Paradise’s future
Surfers Paradise, once a glittering tourist destination, has fallen into disrepair, leaving residents and visitors alike holding their noses. FIND OUT MORE
Council Election
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The battle for Surfers Paradise has come down to turning the mean streets into the clean streets.
Division 10 candidate Mona Hecke made headlines earlier this month when she declared the Glitter Strip “smells like a toilet” now insists it “needs a gurney” to be cleaned up.
“Walk through Surfers Paradise – he’s (incumbent area councillor Darren Taylor) had four years to make improvements and it still smells like a toilet.”
But Mr Taylor hit back, saying the comments were “an attack on Surfers is an insult to our locals, our businesses, local clubs and city staff”.
Ms Hecke said she wanted to model the future of Surfers Paradise on Hawaii’s Waikiki
“It’s clean. It feels safe. It’s lush and lively with tropical landscaping and there’s a diverse array of local businesses,” she said.
“There’s hardly an empty shop space to be seen and the streets are bustling with people, day and night.
“The need for action is urgent. I am prepared to put on my work boots and do the hard yards to ensure that every piece of Surfers Paradise shines.
“While the beach and esplanade will always be the main attraction, we must take care of all the streets and public spaces between the ocean and the river.”
Mr Taylor insisted significant work had been done in recent years to help restore Surfers Paradise to its former glory.
“Business and our town needs leaders that will support, encourage and help grown this great place,” he said.
“The community has been waiting for this for more than 30 years – In a growing city we need vision and foresight – not just a gurney.
“The Transit Centre will not be sold and will be turned into a town hall that will hold community events and Live music. “This will active the Western end of surfers and draw audiences through and down Surfers Paradise Boulevard.”
“The Bruce Bishop Car Park will be retained as public parking and reactivation of the roof top is a priority.”
Mr Taylor pointed to the $40m Surfers upgrade.
“When elected it was important to improve the public realm and with business, locals and community feedback, we now have the Surfers Paradise Revitalisation project,” he said.
“With 85 per cent approval from our recent community consultation, if elected will deliver the complete project.”
The election will be held on Saturday
The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology then edited and approved for publication by an editor.
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