Latest news with #GoldCoastCityCouncil
ABC News
2 days ago
- Business
- ABC News
Coastal erosion researcher warns against Gold Coast plan for bars on beaches
Beach bars could become a permanent tourist attraction on the Gold Coast from next year, but an environmental researcher warns the city's eroded beaches are in no shape to accommodate them. Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said he would like the first venue to be set up at Broadbeach in the 2026 summer and packed up in winter. "The ideal beach bar is that I can go down there and enjoy the surf," Cr Tate said. A beach bar was successfully trialled at Broadbeach during the 2021–22 Christmas school holidays. Gold Coast City Council endorsed a three-year extension of the Kurrawa Beach Bar trial, but it was blocked by the Department of Natural Resources in 2022 after complaints from environmental groups. Councillor Tate said a resurrected beach bar would need to be affordable and accessible to the public, unlike some European beach clubs. Bond University coastal erosion researcher Mark Ellis said the venture wouldn't be viable given the city's beaches still bore the scars of damage inflicted during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. "The issue is you actually need to have a beach to have it on," Mr Ellis said. An estimated 6 million cubic metres of sand, the equivalent of 2,000 Olympic swimming pools, was washed away from beaches across the city. The Gold Coast City Council predicts it could take up to three years to recover from the storm, with more than $30 million already spent on a sand-pumping barge to help speed up the process. Several major events have been relocated or cancelled, including the Pacific Airshow, because of the erosion. Mr Ellis said any planned beach bar would be vulnerable to future storm threats. "I think from an environmental point of view and a climate and modelling point of view, it's not really a good long-term business model because the next storm surge is going to increase," he said. "I think we're going into a La Niña summer and La Niñas are usually profound for bringing in more storms and, when more storms come in, that leads to more erosion. While councils pay to maintain and manage Queensland beaches, the state government owns them. There has been a change of government since the Kurrawa Beach Club was shut down, and Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has publicly supported its revival. But the Gold Coast City Council would have to apply for a trustee lease if it wanted to operate a beach club long term. The Gold Coast Council has been drafting a land-management plan for the Broadbeach foreshore and it carried out community consultation last year. A city spokesperson said the final report would be ready in the coming months. While residents and businesses have previously opposed commercial activities on the beach because of noise and pollution, Cr Tate said the new proposal would have minimal impact on the community. "This is only taking a small part of the beach, not even 50 metres," he said. "We've got 66 kilometres of beach so, if you don't want to go to the beach bar, you've got [plenty of beach] to choose from."
ABC News
08-07-2025
- ABC News
Ex-Gold Coast councillor Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden to stand trial for murder
A former Gold Coast City councillor is to stand trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court over the alleged murder of his stepfather in 2023. Ryan Bayldon-Lumsden was charged with the murder of his stepfather, Robert Lumsden, in the family's suburban home on August 23, 2023. At the time of his arrest, Mr Bayldon-Lumsden was serving as the division 7 councillor for the Gold Coast City Council. Mr Bayldon-Lumsden was released on bail under strict conditions about a week after his arrest and, soon after, accepted a voluntary suspension from his role as a councillor. His lawyers have previously indicated he intends to plead not guilty to the charge of murder. After a brief hearing in the Southport Magistrates Court on Tuesday, Magistrate Lisa O'Neill committed Mr Bayldon-Lumsden to a trial in the Brisbane Supreme Court at a date to be set.
9 News
13-06-2025
- Climate
- 9 News
Gold Coast residents desperate to save properties from erosion
Gold Coast City Council estimates it may take up to three years and $50 million to restore the city's beaches after Tropical Cyclone Alfred.
ABC News
06-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Gold Coast residents slugged one-off $10 payment in rates for cyclone clean-up
Gold Coast ratepayers will help foot the $50 million clean-up bill from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred with households charged a one-off $10 levy in the city's budget that was handed down today. It is on top of a general rate increase of 2.7 per cent for owner occupiers which Mayor Tom Tate pegged to Brisbane's inflation figures for the March quarter. The controversial "view tax" on high rise apartments will remain and properties registered as short-term rentals like Airbnb will continue to be pay a premium. The Gold Coast City Council is the country's second largest local government, with a budget of $2.678 billion, an increase of $215 million from last financial year. A record $1 billion dollars will be spent on capital works, with heavy investment in transport and infrastructure in preparation for next decade's Olympics. The city's disaster and emergency management funding increased to $39 million following two major natural disasters in the past 18 months — the 2023 Christmas Day storms which ripped through the region's hinterland and March's cyclone. The mayor said it could take three years before the beaches returned to their former glory. "It's about having the funds build up for future resilience. We don't know what Mother Nature's going to hit us up with so that money will be really for recovery and resilience," he said. "If it means we're going to need more halls and evacuation centres out west, that's what it's going to go to." Previously announced funding of $15 million for the design and business case for Light Rail Stage 4, extending the tram from Burleigh to Coolangatta airport, remains in the budget. But the mayor expressed his frustration that the state government was dragging its feet. "Transport infrastructure is the number one project. Without it, my prediction is that it will be gridlocked down south." Savings were found through job cuts at council but the mayor refused to say how many roles were lost. Deputy Mayor Mark Hammel said the council was using artificial intelligence to reduce operational costs. Despite lobbying from some councillors, Cr Tate also kept in place the 10 per cent early payment discount for rates. "It's been in place on the Gold Coast for the past 40 years and for future mayors, if they want to remove this, I think they take it to an election like I did," Cr Tate said. Hinterland councillor Glen Tozer was the only one to speak against the budget, citing his opposition to money earmarked for a commercial feasibility study in the controversial Springbrook cableway. He said the national park risked being stripped of its World Heritage listing if the project went ahead. "I have grave reservations about the environmental credentials," he said. "I'm not convinced it can be delivered in line with a commitment to a strict environmental assessment."
ABC News
30-05-2025
- Climate
- ABC News
Beach erosion grounds Pacific Airshow months after ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred
A popular airshow on the Gold Coast has been cancelled, with organisers blaming beach erosion caused by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The Pacific Airshow, which last year attracted 270,000 spectators, was meant to take place over three days from August 15 on Surfers Paradise beach. The famous stretch of sand remains closed after large swells pounded the beach during ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred in early March. The Gold Coast City Council had hoped to restore the beaches by Easter, with a sand-dredging barge brought in to replenish more than 4 million cubic metres of sand, but large swells and king tides have delayed the project. Until earlier this month, Pacific Airshow organisers were reassuring the public they were confident the city's eroded beaches would be ready in time for this year's event. However in a statement on Friday the event's director said extensive modelling revealed the site wouldn't be safe for spectators. "Our team is devastated to be forced to cancel Pacific Airshow Gold Coast 2025, but it's the right thing to do for everyone and the long-term restoration of the beach," said airshow director Kevin Elliott. He said organisers considered changing the date and moving to another location on the Gold Coast but could not find an option that wouldn't compromise the show or community safety. Mr Elliott said tickets holders would be given the choice of either receiving a refund or holding the tickets to use for the 2026 event. The Queensland government had estimated the event generates more than $33 million in overnight visitor expenditure for the Gold Coast, with more than 22,000 people flying to Queensland specifically for the event.
