Gold Coast development: Record number of cranes on skyline as tower construction boom ramps up
New data has revealed the astonishing truth about the level of development transforming the Gold Coast skyline and what it will mean for the population in the future.
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A RECORD number of cranes are towering above the Gold Coast’s skyline as the legacy of the pandemic development boom continues to unfurl.
More than 56 cranes stood above the city’s skyline during the first quarter of 2023, an increase of four on the final months of 2022.
Before the Covid development boom the city tended to average between 35 and 40 cranes at any one time.
The Gold Coast was among a handful of cities to see an uptick in development activity while Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Brisbane all fell.
The figures, compiled by firm Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB), have been welcomed by city planning boss Cr Cameron Caldwell who said the Gold Coast’s construction sector remained strong.
“This is a welcome indicator that the Gold Coast economy has withstood the recent economic turbulence,” he said.
“Even facing a higher interest rate environment, together with supply chain and cost challenges, the fundamentals of the construction sector remain strong.
“We are anticipating a tapering from what have been record high levels of development activity but we remain cautiously optimistic that the economy will continue to thrive.”
The figures, released last week, show there are 835 cranes standing in Australia, the second-highest figure recorded in the past decade.
The Gold Coast lost 15 cranes during the first quarter of the year but gained 19 new ones as a range of new projects began construction.
Among the new projects are the first stage of Imperial Square in Southport, Eve at Labrador, The Esplanade at Palm Beach, Cala Dei and Emmerson, both at Coolangatta and Bianca in Bilinga.
“Residential cranes continue to dominate the skies, making up 93 per cent of all cranes in the region,” the RLB crane index report reads.
“Other sectors hosting cranes are the aged care, commercial, education”, and mixed use sectors”.
Real Estate Institute of Queensland Gold Coast chairman Andrew Henderson said the data represented the reality of construction activity in the city.
“This shows actual projects that are underway that are creating jobs,” he said.
“We are seeing record crane numbers and this may extend further as more projects appoint builders.”
Domenic Schiafone, RLB’s Oceania director of research and development. said the region remained a bright light.
“While Brisbane has recorded a net loss in crane numbers, the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast have performed stronger, bringing the total number of cranes across South East Queensland to a new high of 153 cranes,” he said.
“This increase, however, came at a cost to the civil and mixed-use sectors which saw net decreases of six and two cranes respectively, while education gained seven new cranes with all other sectors remaining at least level, or seeing moderate gains.”
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