FANTASTIC TO SEE ACTION

THE $2 billion investment into the city’s economy by developer William O’Dwyer is a shot in the arm for the city in the postGames era.

The Gold Coast was built on development and the completion of any project is always welcome.

With the first tower of the Ruby Collection opening just five weeks from now, the news today that construction will begin next year on towers two and three of an eventual four is welcome news.

The Gold Coast market has seen plenty of people who are all talk and big plans but when it comes to putting shovels into the ground they are nowhere to be seen.

Plainly, this could not be further from the truth when it comes to this Surfers Paradise project.

This investment has already seen one high-rise come out of the ground and by the time it completed four years from now it will have created 5000 jobs in building and a further 1100 permanent positions.

The scale of Mr O’Dwyer’s immense wealth makes it clear he could have invested anywhere in the world but he chose the Gold Coast. This project will be a great catalytic development for the city which will reinvigorate northern Surfers Paradise.

It is these sort of people who create true legacies for the Gold Coast and through these actions, Mr O’Dwyer has shown to be every bit the leader as our politicians.

Right now the only project which matches it in scale, vision, ambition and faith in the city and its economy is The Star’s $3 billion masterplan. We need more of this big-picture thinking.