Surge sign of planners in the Zone
A FAST-GROWING Gold Coast town planning firm – established two years ago – is at the forefront of development in the city, working on some of our biggest projects.
Zone Planning Group was formed in 2016 by ex-Cardno principal David Ransom, and long-term industry professionals David Geyer and Stephen Enders.
The company counts major developers Sunland and Morris Property Group as clients and is working on the massive The Lakes project at Mermaid Waters for the former.
Mr Ransom said the company, which now has 15 staff after launching with the three directors, began with a strong client base, but also one that is diverse.
Mr Enders, who counts Morris Property as a client, spends half his time in Gladstone and half in the Tweed region.
“At the moment we are coping with the growth we have had to deal with during the past two years,” he said.
“Sometimes it is hard to get your head above the water and take a look around at what you want to do next. But it comes back to that issue of diversifi- cation: do not put all your eggs into one basket. Look at different geographic locations, look at different service lines and make yourself resilient.”
Mr Ransom said the company has 200 sqm at Swell Resort, previously occupied by a liquor store.
Office space is generally a firm’s biggest overhead, but Mr Ransom said the location has served the firm well, adding: “You have to take a guess as to how much you need and we’re approaching the point where this is nearly full. But we like it here, it is a great location, and we’re keen to stay.”
Mr Ransom said it is an exciting time to work in town planning on the Gold Coast.
The light rail network is proving a boost to development along the rail route, the Gold Coast Airport precinct is expanding its offering, and densification is increasing thanks to the city plan.
“We are yet to see the full benefits as it has only recently been connected to the heavy rail at Helensvale,” he said.
“Post-Commonwealth Games we will see a lot of people using that to come down to the Coast and occupy hotels and that will drive demand for all sorts of redevelopment along that light rail corridor.”
Mr Ransom said he believed most people would see the benefits of densification, despite opposition from antidevelopment groups such as Save Our Spit.
“The city plan is promoting towers along the Manhattan Strip, what I call the area between Main Beach and Broadbeach. That was advertised and the community got to comment on that. It has been in for two years now and it is happening,” he said.
“The bottom line is, if you’re living in a dwelling house on the coastal strip you cannot expect the area to be that way forever. And ultimately you will be the beneficiary of those higher land values, because presumably you will want to sell at some point as well.”
Mr Ransom said he is proud of the work Zone has achieved in its two years in existence.
He said challenges remain for the city, particularly around a shortage of land, but overall the future looks bright.
“I think The Lakes is shaping up to be a really, really, good project,” he said. “Everyone has known that site for years, it has been vacant, but there has been a lot of work done to come up with a good masterplan for that site. It is starting to be rolled out now. There is some really exciting stuff in the pipeline.”