VENTURE DIVIDES RESIDENTS

A PROPOSAL by city leaders for a public beach club on the Gold Coast’s foreshore has been met with mixed reviews from locals.

Beach clubs are private areas on the beach with lounges, cabanas, a bar with a food menu and charges an admission fee.

Mayor Tom Tate wrote to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk asking for her to support a three-year pilot.

He said a beach club was a “vital” project to help revive the city’s shattered tourism industry.

The concept favoured by the Gold Coast City Council is similar to that of the Moseley Beach Club at Glenelg in South Australia.

A specific location is not being eyed off but potential locations could include Broadbeach’s Kurrawa/ Pratten Parklands.

Broadbeach resident Edan Taylor said he supported the idea of a beach club to attract tourists with young families to the area.

He said Kurrawa Park would be the ideal location for the club and believed the suburb was more popular with tourists than the Glitter Strip.

“It’s only a matter of time before Broadbeach will be centre stage,” Mr Taylor said.

“It’s more family orientated down this way and you can walk around without being harassed by people.

“Broadbeach has definitely come a long way and in my eyes is better than Surfers (Paradise).”

But Gold Coaster Denise Lawrence wasn’t sold on the idea, calling the club “silly” and a waste of money.

“We need open spaces and there’s so many facilities around, we don’t need a club house,” she said.

“It will upset the locals with dogs and families who have children that run around the park. It’s a waste of money.”