Surfers Paradise $30 million redevelopment positive from council’s controversial decision

How a $30 million redevelopment promise can change Surfers Paradise, writes Ann Wason Moore. READ HOW

The fight for the heart of Surfers Paradise is on.

And while the battle was lost, the war can still be won.

Despite a controversial decision by council late this year to grant another 30-year lease to the ailing Paradise Centre, area councillor Darren Taylor says it’s not the end of the road.

Although, ironically, it might literally be the end of the road – or at least that section of the Esplanade between Peppers Soul and Trickett Street.

Cr Taylor says while he would have loved to have seen the city retake control of the Crown land when the Paradise Centre lease expires in 10 years, the condition that owner Challenger Group must carry out a $30 million redevelopment is still good news.

Under the new lease, which must be signed by February 28, the centre must be demolished and work begun on a new public plaza and dining precinct within a year of the new lease being signed.

Artist impression of the proposed redevelopment of the Paradise Centre in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

Challenger has two years to finish the project and is required to give the precinct a facelift every 10 years.

Council’s rent on the site will also dramatically increase from $26,000 to $420,000 annually.

And for Cr Taylor, that’s only the start.

Responding to plans floated by legendary architect Desmond Brooks – the visionary behind Brisbane’s South Bank, Century City in Los Angeles and our own Sheraton Mirage – Cr Taylor says it’s a case of great minds thinking alike.

Desmond’s blueprint for Surfers includes its own South Bank by the Sea, with the Esplanade closed to traffic along the foreshore and new parklands for pedestrians.

“I’ve met with Desmond already and I told him I’m thinking exactly along the same lines,” says Cr Taylor.

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“We’ve been looking at similar ideas and the great thing is that we’re all on the same page.

“I think everyone can agree that a family-friendly pool or water feature would be spectacular, and getting rid of the cars is essential.

“That doesn’t mean it’s easy, but the key thing is getting a plan together that we can all agree on and work towards.

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“Then we can turn our attention to figuring out the funding.”

Cr Taylor says while the Surfers Paradise Master Plan will kick off soon with new streetscaping and traffic flow improvements, the reimagining of our city centre will require a much longer-term approach.

To that effort, he’s spearheading a Revitalisation Group to draw up a 20-year plan for the suburb.

And he says Paradise Centre has a place in that bigger picture.

“It’s not a bad thing to have new investment. And there’s still room to work around it and build what we all want,” he says.

Artist impression of the proposed redevelopment of the Paradise Centre in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

This is precisely the kind of can-do attitude we need in our city. When we lose one battle, we don’t give up … we regroup and keep fighting.

And anyone who ever visited and loved the Surfers of old, knows this suburb is worth fighting for

The biggest battle, of course, will be figuring out funding.

But Cr Taylor has a plan for that as well.

“The most important thing is nailing down the plan we want to see happen, and then going to the various levels of government as well as private enterprise to see what they can do,” he says.

“It’s a shame we’re not further progressed in our plans because there are a lot of Covid-related grants out there right now to help tourism and for infrastructure. We’ll still try to apply for them but we need to be exact about what we want.”

Artist impression of the proposed redevelopment of the Paradise Centre in Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, the fact that our city is even having these conversations about the future of Surfers is already creating change.

An influx of business investment in recent times, such as the Cali Beach Club, is proof positive that better days are ahead for our city. Confidence only creates confidence.

So Gold Coast, if you like the look of these plans, if you want to see Surfers become somewhere you can truly take your own family, say it out loud. Tell your friends, tell the council, tell your local representatives.

If we all show our support, perhaps we can finally get the heart of our city pumping again.