Golden Age: Councillors Dawn Crichlow and Hermann Vorster on why their Gold Coast suburb is the real CBD

TWO of the Gold Coast’s most senior political leaders face off over which of their suburbs is the city’s real central business district. Is it Robina or Southport?

TWO of the Gold Coast’s most senior political leaders face off over which of their suburbs is the city’s real central business district. Is it Robina or Southport?

THE Case for Robina — Cr Hermann Vorster

Councillor Hermann Vorster. Photo: Jerad Williams

LEAFY green Robina is where you can still have it all: the best lifestyle, remarkable convenience and boundless opportunity. It is a place that lives up to the very promise of the Gold Coast.

At the root of its success is a decades-old masterplan that places people close to jobs, students close to the best in education, and puts a park on every doorstep.

The formula is pretty simple. Why wouldn’t you live where you can spend less time in traffic and more quality time with your family?

GOLDEN AGE: WHY COAST MUST HAVE ITS OWN TOWER OF POWER

CBUS Super Stadium, Robina. Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS

GOLDEN AGE: INSIDE THE THREAT TO COAST CBD’S DOMINANCE

While millions are spent elsewhere engineering economic development, it has been heartening to see “free market’’ Robina quietly and consistently succeed.

Today we are home to phenomenal schools, a world leading university, three hospitals, two rail stations, an impressive stadium, a dynamic town centre and proper commercial towers.

Not bad for a former swamp, right?

Most importantly, Robina has always been driven by a forward-looking outlook, so we know the best is yet to come.

GCB Aerial of the future site of the Robina City Parklands. Picture: Mike Batterham

Just this week Acting Mayor Donna Gates unveiled exclusively in the Gold Coast Bulletin that construction of the amazing Robina City Parklands will soon commence.

And that comes on the back of snaring the Gold Coast Hub, plans for our first boutique hotel, and the imminent opening of the Central Malls precinct.

But growth is not without its challenges and I refuse to see it come at the expense of the lifestyle residents expect — and deserve. Lifestyle must be protected.

This is complicated by ancient state legislation overruling the council’s planning authority in the area and ruling out infrastructure fees to pay for much needed road upgrades.

The good news is the council resolved at its last meeting to design, specify and price an infrastructure “shopping list’’ so we can speak with total moral authority during renegotiations.

Rather than an adversarial move, it will ensure everyone, existing residents and landowners, will be better off as Robina realises its full potential as a prestigious, prosperous community.

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Aerial view of Robina's Stadium Village Precinct

Tweaking of the masterplan and better infrastructure terms will deliver new road connections, overdue intersection upgrades, redevelopment of the Robina Library, connection to the municipal broadband network and more magnificent parks.

Truly, Robina is the place to be.

Hermann Vorster is the councillor for Robina

The case for Southport — Cr Dawn Crichlow

Councillor Dawn Crichlow. Photo: Jerad Williams

SOUTHPORT was always the senior area of the city and it has been run by people in businesses who have been there for generations.

I have always seen that as working and it has been good for the area, but now we are seeing the hipsters take over.

The young trendies are coming and are eventually going to absolutely control Southport.

They’re opening their wine bars, they’re attracting the well-dressed young people and formed a young Southport committee.

GOLDEN AGE: THE SECRET PLAN TO RESTORE SURFERS PARADISE TO GLORY

Southport Picture: B1gr1g Photographics.

We have put in the groundwork for them and now they are bringing in their light industry and entertainment.

Chinatown is working really well and the light rail has been the best thing which has happened to Southport out of the Commonwealth Games.

We are also starting to see plenty of medium-rise, 10-storey buildings which are coming from local developers rather than giant high-rises.

Queen Street Village at Southport

This is what people seem to like as well as buildings which offer rooftop entertainment.

We have got everything else going for us too. Australia Fair is doing up its facilities and I think this will attract more people to the city.

I am hoping to see the Health and Knowledge Precinct come to full fruition in the near future too, but we will have to wait and see what happens when the Government takes it over again later this year.

Southport (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

But overall I think it’s all good in Southport right now — TAFE is doing wonderful things for people and we must see greater emphasis being put on younger people.

Let’s give them a ago.

Dawn Crichlow is the councillor for Division 6