Time for a road trip into Coast’s future
IT’S as though we’ve turned on the keys in a DeLorean, the timetravelling car that was the star of the Back to the Future movies.
But instead of zipping back to 1955, as Michael J. Fox’s character Marty McFly did in the original film, the Bulletin’s Future Gold Coast series stretches forward two decades.
Here is the view of the road ahead.
The first surprise is no one can really predict how big we will grow.
In a new transport report, Infrastructure Australia uses baseline projections from the Queensland Government’s Statisticians Office, which reflect council’s planning schemes.
Another key source being used is Shaping SEQ Queensland demographic data, described as the “policy aspiration” of the State Government.
Shaping SEQ anticipates growth will be 58,453 people fewer than we expected in 2031. This is based on a view of an increase in southern Brisbane and fewer on the Coast and in Ipswich.
But planners say – and this is the second shock – that the 59,000 difference does not matter. A helluva lot of people are coming.
Let’s take the DeLorean to Oxenford. When the Future Gold Coast series started a fortnight ago, area city councillor William Owen-Jones posted on Facebook to residents. The council was working off the Statisticians Office figures. Between now and 2041, the Coast’s population would
grow by about 370,000 residents to 961,000.
To put it into perspective, Cr Owen-Jones compared the figure to “the combined current populations of Toowoomba, Mackay, Rockhampton, Hervey Bay and Bundaberg”.
Residents posted back, asking how our hospitals and the M1 would cope.
Cr Owen-Jones responded that the state has “no choice but to plan”.
The DeLorean is at arguably the city’s worst bottleneck, where the State Government is about to start work on the $25 million upgrade at Exit 57 on the M1.
The second surprise? Ask the councillor or the local MPs, this upgrade will only fix congestion for a few years. Another overpass must be built soon.
Let’s stop the DeLorean where the Titans hope to build their licensed clubhouse at Oxenford.
A report to council estimates that during the next 15 years, the population of these suburbs will increase by 97,000.
The report says these sporting facilities will be needed: three AFL clubs, one athletics club, six cricket clubs, five soccer clubs, seven netball clubs, and seven rugby league clubs.
Pimpama will expand by 9500 residents, Helensvale by 11,000 and Coomera by 26,000.
Schools are calling the council. Their campuses no longer have the space for several ovals. They need to use the city sports facilities.
A map is provided by Education Queensland. Across the next two decades, those three high-growth suburbs will need 11 primary and five secondary schools.
Further north up the M1 towards Brisbane, the locals talk about what is important to them. North of the Coomera River, there is no police youth citizens club.
At Pimpama, residents have to drive to Coomera to post a letter. Charity groups and community leaders are working on a PCYC.
Armed with a petition and in talks with shopping centre owner Norm Rix, Les Hargreaves is talking to Australia Post.
The temptation is to keep driving north – and at more than 80km/h when the DeLorean will do what the film character Doc calls some “serious” stuff.
Back in that first film in 1985 Doc was right when he confided to Marty McFly: “Your future is whatever you make it. So make it a good one.”
We just have to plan better. PAUL WESTON