Gold Coast liveability at risk amidst population boom

The Gold Coast’s famed lifestyle is under threat, warn experts who say ageing infrastructure needs to be dug up regardless of light rail extending south of Burleigh

The chair of the Gold Coast’s light rail operator says the tourism capital is designed to be liveable - and its biggest issue now was staying that way.

GoldlinQ chairman John Witheriff told the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce ‘Transport Forum 6.0 - Planes, trains and automobiles’ if light rail didn’t extended from Burleigh to the airport, ageing underground infrastructure would need to be dug up regardless.

A major part of tram track extension works being done with the existing Stage 3 build from Broadbeach to Burleigh has involved replacing underground city infrastructure first, then laying track.

Updated artist impression of Gold Coast Light Rail Stage 3 between Broadbeach and Burleigh Heads. Picture: Supplied

Mr Witheriff, on a panel with Queensland Airports CEO Amelia Evans, Transport and Main Roads director general Sally Stannard, Kinetic CEO Michael Sewards, Bicycle Queensland CEO Alton Twine and Griffith University’s Prof Matthew Burke said while the Gold Coast was designed to be “a liveable city” the biggest issue facing it now was remaining one.

“In 2009 there was a lot of work being done around trying to deal with this concept of population growth and how we were going to manage it. In the same way as we’re struggling with it now, we were struggling with it then.”

Mr Witheriff said the real challenge now was how to remain liveable if people could not move around.

“Do we stop people coming, do we stop new supply?” he said.

“If there’s more demand – it’s all fine for us who already have property – but my daughter and many like her wouldn’t be able to buy on the Gold Coast.”

He said if the Gold Coast didn’t want to become “locked” like Noosa, or pay $3m for a home like Byron Bay, the biggest requirement for a liveable city was infrastructure to ensure people could get around.

“Former town planners said we’ve got a community that doesn’t understand public transport,” he said.

John Witheriff. Picture: Richard Gosling

“So we had to create a piece of infrastructure would actually change people’s user habits.”

Gold Coast light rail user numbers hit 1.5 million most months, with that number expected to be two million-plus once Stage 3 is complete.

Mr Witheriff said the basic tenant of the Gold Coast transport plan is a heavy rail spine, light rail along the coastline and a bus network to make those two work as an integrated system.

He added ageing Gold Coast underground infrastructure including water pipes would see roads through Palm Beach and Tugun needing to be pulled up regardless of the light rail extending south.

“We have water pipes in Burleigh with asbestos and massive amounts of water disappearing underground along with other waste – we have an ageing network,” he said.

Light rail construction at Miami. Picture: Glenn Campbell

“Let’s say we wave a magic wand tomorrow and we don’t extend light rail down to the airport – that infrastructure all through Palm Beach to Tugun will have to be dug up.

“When I was a kid and there was 900 people living in Broadbeach – and the same piece of real estate moving cars along there is the same there is now. There’s no more of it.”

Ms Evans told the Bulletin recently Qld Airports Ltd wants light rail to the Gold Coast terminal unless a viable alternative emerges, describing buses long-term instead of the tram as not “positive” for customers. At the time she said the most common question her team received from visitors was “which way is the train?”.