The future of the Bruce Bishop car park in Surfers Paradise remains uncertain

The long-term future of Bruce Bishop car park, the city’s biggest public asset in Surfers, is uncertain despite council voting to save it back in February. Read the shock council revelations

The long-term future of the Bruce Bishop Carpark, the city’s biggest public asset, remains uncertain, after shock revelations in council.

The longevity of the 1600 carparks in the Surfers Paradise asset appear shaky in recent debate rejecting a tourism hub backpackers

The spotlight is again on the car park - which councillors voted to saved back in February - after a majority of councillors rejected an application for backpackers accommodation at the neighbouring Surfers Plaza Resort. One of the key reasons is no guarantee about car spaces at Bruce Bishop after the next 12 months.

Repair works underway at the Bruce Bishop car park in Surfers Paradise.

A City spokesperson said: “Structural repairs are underway at Bruce Bishop Carpark, with completion in December 2023 with minimal impacts to the operations of the carpark.

“An assessment is underway to determine the future management of the asset. A report will be presented to Council at a future meeting.”

Councillors at a planning committee meeting questioned officers who recommended approval of the backpackers operation with no requirement for car spaces for the extra 270 tourists.

Officers in a report on the backpackers wrote: “Accordingly, the proposal will rely solely on street parking or carparking areas external to the site.”

Councillor Peter Young asked about the timing of a review of the Bruce Bishop Carpark.

Cr William Owen-Jones confirmed the time-frame would be decided by the next council. A poll will occur in March next year and review completed by October.

“So the decision as I recall it, was that the City would continue to keep the asset. And the review would be in regards to the funding that the City required in order to maximise its use as asset,” Cr Owen-Jones said.

Cr Young listed car parking along with density and safety issues in opposing the backpackers.

Three colleagues backed him with only planning committee chair Mark Hammel opposed. A final vote will be next Tuesday at full council.

Fencing showing repair works underway on one level of the Bruce Bishop car park in Surfers Paradise.

Cr Young at committee said there was a complete lack of car parking for the clientele of the proposed 270-bed facility and its workers.

“It seems to me unlikely that every single person that uses this over a year is going to come on a bus, on a plane, in a taxi, on a bike and not have their own car,” he said.

“The report identifies there is no on-street parking available in the precinct. And so there’s a heavy reliance on public carparking in the Bruce Bishop car park, which is a very uncertain provision. It might be okay for the next six months.

“It might be okay for the next 12 but beyond that we really don’t know. And it’s unacceptable in my opinion.”

Several council sources suggest the decision will impact on future high rise developments.

“You can’t get a (carparking) relaxation on a development relying on it (the car park) being maintained,” a source said.

Cr Hermann Vorster had also questioned officers to clarify the Bruce Bishop Carpark’s role.

“Could I get a sense if Bruce Bishop was not there, and it has divested and redeveloped, it would have affected recommendation by city officers,” he said.

An officer agreed saying “you could book in advance” at the car park.

Outside the meeting, Cr Vorster said: “I was intrigued to see Bruce Bishop included in the City officer’s presentation – and their advice that bookable off-site carparking supports development.

“While they say retaining the car park wasn’t a deal-breaker, it was obviously important enough to include in the public presentation.

“For me, that was a vindication of the difficult but necessary decision to retain the asset for the protection of Surfers Paradise and its economic potential.

Workers on site with repair work undertaken at the Bruce Bishop car park in Surfers Paradise.

“More than anything, it tells me we can’t ignore the carparking needs of the coastal strip even on areas serviced by high frequency public transport.

“There is a lesson here — and I’m very keen to see the state’s approach to parking supply and regulation as part of their light rail plans.”

Photographs provided to the Bulletin show major structural repair work being undertaken by contractors at the site in Surfers Paradise.

The bill to ratepayers to repair beams and stop concrete cancer is $2.8 million.

Only $881,770 had been budgeted for the next 12 months, but the decision in January by a majority of councillors to reject selling the asset had forced the City to deal with repair work.

A confidential report in January indicated the car park was only making a “modest return” and officers had recommended the best option was a sale.

Retaining the car park would offer a “poor return and ongoing maintenance liability”.

But after a deal with the preferred tender fell through, a majority of councillors voted to retain the asset and investigate repair costs. They are yet to be told the longevity of the car park.

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