Overview

The draft master plan is a unified plan to revitalise and protect The Spit for generations to come. The draft master plan reflects the extensive community feedback received about the proposed options released in October 2018. The plan includes a range of outcomes for the future development of The Spit across seven precincts.

The plan's big picture strategies have been informed by last year's feedback and used to guide precinct outcomes and achieve the overall vision for The Spit master plan.

Complete Official Spit Masterplan Survey

The Top of the Spit

Open space and recreation, playgrounds, picnic facilities and shaped landforms

Issue	Comments	Status
1.2 Pavilion buildings and seaway tower	A danger of over development and commercialization with pavilion buildings and plaza on southern Seaway Wall, its path and the northern end of Federation Walk Coastal Reserve.	Issues
1.3 Dog off-leash areas	Retain dog off leash area	Like
1.5 Versatile parkland spaces	Retain Doug Jennings Park flexibility for outdoor events, nature-play and informal picnics	Like
1.8 Marine Stadium jetty and boardwalk/td>	Danger of overdevelopment, over commercialisation and ruining of informal visual amenity with the proposed boardwalk and kiosk on NE section of Marine Stadium	Issues
1.9 Tidal flow connection	Create a tidal flow connection between Marine Stadium and Seaway Will improve water quality.	Like
1.10 Planting on Moondarewa Spit		Like

Wavebreak and Curlew Islands

A natural retreat in the heart of the Broadwater

Issue	Comments	Status
2.2 Small scale camping	Camping - No overnight camping on Wavebreak Island with its potential for fire dangers; uncontrolled noise and 'partying'; night time disruption to migratory bird and other wildlife habitat. And the history of Gold Coast on public parks is that the footprint once granted then changes i.e. tent sites become cabin sites become co-joined cabins, becomes an exclusive resort. For example the Seaworld northern overflow carpark became an exclusive resort and convention centre once the carpark footprint was granted.	No
2.4 Iconic dive experience	Underwater sculpture garden could cause possible disturbance to existing seagrass beds; needs environmentally sustainable (non-toxic) structures; and present no dangers to boats, swimmers, snorkelers and divers.	Issues
2.8 Curlew Island	Curlew Island protected and managed as a conservation area	Like

Federation Walk

An Oceanway pathway on top of the Spit dune system was rejected by key stakeholders at the Spit Master Plan workshops. It must be removed from the Spit Master Plan.

A concrete pathway on top of dunes is the antithesis of good ecological and sustainability planning. The Oceanway is not necessary as the Federation Walk already services the Coastal Reserve under a sustainable management plan with east west paths to the beach. A path directly on the Spit dune system will further fragment the vegetation and put protected turtle nesting sites at risk and cause disturbance to bird and other wildlife habitat.

Issue	Comments	Status
3.1 Centre for coastal resilience	Ensure the Coastal Resilience Centre does not become a commercial entertainment centre and is not too visually dominant in the dunal-coastal park landscape at the northern end of The Spit.	Issues
3.2 Coastal dune resilience	Dune resilience programs	Like
3.3 Ephemeral wetlands	Establish ephemeral and littoral wetlands in low areas	Like
3.4 Natural area management in partnership with the community	Continue the Community driven natural area management (Friends of Federation Walk).	Like
3.7 Coastal lookouts	Avoid any use of cement in primary sand dunes. The beauty of sandhills is they naturally form. Any built structures need to be first class eco designs.	Issues

Muriel Henchman Park

Improve access to the Broadwater; improved boat launching facilities; additional parking; and small waterside park.

Issue	Comments	Status
4.1 Parkland and community use area	Small park and picnic facilities	Like
4.4 Community organisation storage and facilities	Potential overuse of built form for a 'series of buildings' up to two-storeys for storage, administration and meeting spaces for orgs. The potential disruption to the visual amenity of the Broadwater from the eastern entries to MH Park with buildings obscuring the view.	Issues

Village Centre Sea World

None of the accommodation should be residential

Issue	Comments	Status
5.2 Waterside cafe	Potential for over commercialization of the proposed boardwalk along the entire length of the Broadwater.	Issues
5.4 Continuous Broadwater boardwalk	Potential large construction and ongoing costs of maintenance of boardwalk the entire length of the Broadwater on the Spit western shores	Issues
5.7 Light rail station	No Light Rail Spur or Light Rail Stations - The Master Plan already proposes an extension of the existing bus service from Seaworld to the Seaway during daylight hours and so LR is redundant. Also LR has been proven in other areas of the Gold Coast to slow traffic flows with losses of car lanes and traffic stops to allow LR to have priority. GoldlinQ, the State Authority for Light Rail transport decisions has already rejected the Spit Light Rail spur line proposal for The Spit . The GoldlinQ representative stated clearly at the first Spit Master Plan workshops that they had conducted research and there is no business case for a Light Rail service on the Spit, owing to a lack of passenger volumes (no highrise residential on The Spit which LR depends on for economic viability) and potential passenger hours limited mostly to day time hours. The designations of a "Light Rail" spur line and "Light Rail Station" must be removed from the final Master Plan and replaced with a note such as - "optional future public transport corridor". This allows for future economically and environmentally sustainable options such as "Bus Tech" (Burleigh Heads) and their electric buses (currently being exported to Tasmania and Europe) or new technology public transport options not yet known rather than the highly expensive old technology of heavy trams aka Light Rail.	No

Village Centre North

Dining and entertainment activities. Three-storey height limit. None of the accommodation should be residential

Issue	Comments	Status
5.12 Waterside bar and function centre	Potential over densification and over supply of bars, dining and entertainment areas possibly robbing existing Spit businesses of patronage	Issues
5.13 Rainbow Bee-eater habitat	Establish a habitat protection zone	Like
5.15 Boutique mixed use development	Extension of the existing bus service from Seaworld to the northern end of the Spit	Like
5.17 Aboriginal cultural centret	Establish an Aboriginal Cultural Centre	Like
5.18 Performance space	Create an open space performance area	Like
5.22 Fishing fleet facilities renewed	Retains the fishing trawler fleet	Like

Village Centre South

None of the accommodation should be residential

Issue	Comments	Status
Establish safe on-road and village cycle lanes.		Like
5.25 Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort	Sheraton Resort's proposed "Beach Club" must not be expanded beyond the current Sheraton footprint onto the public walkway, coastal dune system or public beach front. NO commercialisation of the current beach directly east of Sheraton's current eastern boundary.	Issues

Alt 1 Philip Park

Issue	Comments	Status
6.1 Federation Walk gateway	This entire concept should be adopted to provide uninterrupted public access; provide connectivity between the Federation Walk currently running through Philip Park to the southern gateway/entrance to Federation Walk Coastal Reserve and for continuity of dunal systems, beach and surf amenity; protection of wildlife habitat (birds, whales resting site, turtle nesting) and retention of public open space the entire length of The Spit from Philip Park to the Seaway wall on the eastern side. Paths need to be eco best practise not cement.	Like
6.2 Upgraded parkland		Like
6.3 Car parking		Like
6.4 Covered community space		Like
6.5 Accessible pathways		Like
6.6 Village green		Like

Alt 2 Philip Park (potential CST)

This entire concept must be rejected for the following reasons:

Negative impact on beach and park access for public (no go zones, supply trucks etc)
Negative impact on Spit surf amenity (Lazarow study - recreational on The Spit brings $15 million per annum to GC) through wave shadow and beach erosion caused by CST jetty and breakwater.
Increases in amount of Spit traffic and congestion with anticipated cruise terminal buses, taxis, supply and container trucks and ship passenger vehicles.
6.9 The need for a signaled intersection (traffic lights) on Seaworld Drive at the industrial entrance to the cruise terminal.
Disruptions to pedestrian and cycle connectivity and flow north and south on the Spit.
Loss of public carpark amenity (less spaces) at gateway/entrance to Federation Walk Coastal Reserve and north entrance to Philip Park.
Loss of natural park areas in Philip Park owing to Terminal infrastructure footprint and Terminal service areas and carpark(s).
Destruction and/or disruption of protected turtle nesting areas at the proposed CST site on Philip Park.
The yet to be publicly released GCCC un-redacted version of the Oceanside CST at Philip Park, reveals that the terminal-port will run at a $45-$150 million operating loss over the first 30 years if a ship safely docks 2 out of every 3 days for that entire 30 years.
No navigational safety studies have been conducted to prove that it will be safe to attempt to dock vessels of any size at the Philip Park oceanside jetty in any weather conditions, mild or strong.

Philip Park - Alternative 2 should be removed from the final Spit Master Plan.

Issue	Comments	Status
6.7 Federation Walk gateway		No
6.8 Potential cruise ship terminal		No
6.9 Pedestrian connections		No
6.10 Accessible pathways		No
6.11 Car parking		No
6.12 Village green		No
6.13 Upgraded parkland		No

The Southern Gateway

An attractive entry to The Spit

Issue	Comments	Status
7.3 Southport Yacht Club boat storage facility	The proposed boat stacking facility and "flexible urban youth space" aka skateboard park as entrance statements are the antithesis of an entrance statement/gateway that is intended to signal the natural assets of a world class "Oceanside Park".	No
7.5 Dune protection and enhancement		Like
7.8 Skate park and amphitheatre	The proposed boat stacking facility and "flexible urban youth space" aka skateboard park as entrance statements are the antithesis of an entrance statement/gateway that is intended to signal the natural assets of a world class "Oceanside Park".	No
7.9 Superyacht berthing facility	The loss of access to public foreshores at Jack Gordon Park for the commercial operations of superyacht berthing and re-fuelling behind a security fence is the antithesis of the purpose of the Spit Master Plan i.e. greater public access and retention of public parks, foreshores and open spaces.	No
7.10 Welcome gateway	Proposed traffic signals at the intersection of Seaworld Drive and MacArthur Parade do not appear to have been tested against the efficacy of the current roundabout system	Issues

Complete Official Spit Masterplan Survey