Light Rail Axing Won’t Slow Southern Gold Coast Surge

The Gold Coast light rail project—considered by some as the city’s “Trojan horse for development”—has been pulled up well short of its final run to the Queensland-New South Wales border. Citing a cost blow-out to “just shy of $10 billion” and “overwhelming” community opposition, it has been stopped in its tracks by the Queensland Government. But the decision to axe the 13km fourth stage, from Burleigh Heads to Coolangatta, is unlikely to significantly impact property development along the coastal strip’s southern corridor, a planning expert has told The Urban Developer . “Some people sort of think the light rail is a Trojan horse to unleash more development potential but, in my view, they are wrong,” Zone Planning Group director David Ransom said. “The planning scheme already allows the ultimate scenario for development from Burleigh down to Coolangatta, anyway... and it’s moving ahead regardless. “Unless you’re talking about the Coolangatta CBD area, I don’t think the light rail was ever going to have a massive influence on development potential south of Burleigh in any event.” Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie announced on Monday that after an independent review the Queensland Government had decided not to go ahead with stage four of the Gold Coast light rail project. He said the project’s cost had progressively blown out from $2.7 billion to $7.6 billion, and the latest estimate was upwards of $9.85 billion. As well, delivery would be problematic in the lead-up to the 2032 Brisbane Olympics. ▲ A render of a station along the axed Burleigh Heads-Coolangatta stage of the Gold Coast light rail project. More than 5600 submissions were received during the review’s community consultation process with “nearly two thirds of respondents expressing negative sentiment towards the project”. “This is about ensuring transport infrastructure projects are delivered in partnership with local communities to protect what they value most in their community and their lifestyle,” Bleijie said. Instead, the government plans to roll out accelerated enhanced bus services supported with new multi-modal transport planning, including airport connectivity and alternative routes. According to Zone Planning Group’s David Ransom, contrary to concerns about potential development setbacks from the government’s decision, the region’s growth momentum would continue unabated—in particular, at the southern end of the Gold Coast that is experiencing robust development activity. “If you look at suburbs like Palm Beach, which has a crane on every second site, it’s hard to believe that there’s some unachieved development potential because there’s no light rail there,” he said. “It’s not going to make any difference whatsoever to the way that suburb progresses. It’s happening irrespective of a decision on the light rail. “Lots of people want to live there and there are many dilapidated development sites that can be amalgamated to allow things to occur. “Further south from there, you end up in Currumbin where there’s all sorts of environmental controls that prevent redevelopment anyway.” Beyond there, he says, the Tugun-Bilinga strip—an area siginificantly impacted by the Gold Coast Airport’s operations, which has non-negotiable building height limits—continues to experience midrise development. And at nearby Coolangatta—on the border with the NSW north coast’s Tweed Heads—there is also a pipeline of projects and “probably other factors at play down the track”. ▲ A rendering of the now-scrapped fourth stage of the light rail project. Ransom, a well-regarded town planner, said the only real missed opportunity in the government’s decision to cancel the light rail’s fourth stage was its potential to provide “seamless” connectivity between the Gold Coast Airport, which last year welcomed 6.2 million travellers, and the rest of the city. “When you think about it, how many locations in Australia have access to an international airport, world-class beaches, major centres and a university?” he said. “It’s a pretty rare congregation of different land uses and that’s what’s driving the huge demand on that southern end of the Gold Coast. “And while the light rail would be a good thing, it doesn’t appear to be a significant influence on the decision-making of those people investing. If it were... you probably wouldn't be seeing that [level of development activity]. “Of course, the light rail to Coolangatta still may well happen at some stage in the future. “But, regardless, there seems to be sufficient development potential in areas like Palm Beach to enable projects to work, and they’re all proceeding.” The Gold Coast is forecast to become home to one million people by 2041. Its existing 20km light rail route between Helensvale and Broadbeach recently notched up more than 100 million trips since it began operating 11 years ago. Its 6.7km extension to Burleigh Heads is under construction and scheduled for completion by mid-2026. State weighs up Dreamworld call-in Meanwhile, the Queensland Government also has issued a proposed call-in notice to fast-track the proposed expansion of the Gold Coast’s Dreamworld theme park. Under the plans lodged in 2023, the park’s precinct would be expanded from 55.3ha to 85ha to accommodate a “town centre transition project” with as many as 13 buildings—including a world-class hotel, residential towers, function centres, restaurants, and a nature-based tourism precinct featuring eco-cabins and boardwalks. In June, following a drawn-out planning process, Dreamworld owner Coast Entertainment indicated to the City of Gold Coast and the government that conditions drafted by the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) and the City were “unworkable” and asked for a call-in of the project. Subsequently, Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate wrote to Bleijie requesting him to use his call-in powers after a council vote backing the motion. “The Gold Coast City Council and Dreamworld have 20 days to convince me as to why I should call-in this development,” Bleijie said. He said Dreamworld had been an icon of the Gold Coast for more than four decades and “this major mixed-use tourism and housing precinct development is set to future-proof the theme park for decades to come”. “This proposed call-in notice will take into consideration the tourism benefits of this development along with the critical road infrastructure required to keep the northern Gold Coast moving.” The proposed call-in would take decision-making powers away from the council and put them in the hands of Bleijie.

Light Rail Axing Won’t Slow Southern Gold Coast Surge

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