GOLD COAST BULLETIN

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

THE Gold Coast Hwy at Southport could be re-routed, doubling the size of the Broadwater Parklands to allow it to host events as large as the Big Day Out (BDO) and the Gold Coast Show.

Secret plans envisaged the Gold Coast Hwy repositioned to Marine Pde, directly in front of Australia Fair, a move that would see the parklands transformed into a “world-class” waterfront entertainment precinct.

The Committee for Southport has the plans drawn up and lobbied the state government for approval before the Commonwealth Games in 2018. It estimated the cost of diverting the highway and expanding Broadwater Parklands at $100m.

The proposal came as the redevelopment of the Gold Coast Aquatic Centre continues and the next stage of the Broadwater Parklands was under consideration.

Committee chairman John Howe, the engineer who designed the V8 track at Surfers Paradise, said reshaping the highway would bring major benefits to the region.

“This could be one of the world’s greatest entertainment precincts,” he said.

“It would more than double the venue, which already attracts 10,000 during the weekend of the V8 Supercars when it hosts the rock concert,” he said.

“This would be a major win for the local community.

“This could be part of the legacy left from the Commonwealth Games.

“We support what the council did to the northern end of the Parklands and we’d like to see the southern end transformed.”

Both the BDO and Gold Coast Show were left homeless as Parklands Showgrounds was handed over to the state government to make way for the Commonwealth Games athletes village.