Queensland government wants your input on proposed casino resort
TPM Builders/blog/Queensland government wants your input on proposed casino resort
This is your chance to share your thoughts on a massive proposal to build a five-tower resort and piazza on the Gold Coast waterfront, featuring many public spaces. The Queensland government is currently holding community consultation sessions over a controversial proposal to build a world-class casino resort on the Gold Coast waterfront. If this project gets the go ahead, Queenslanders and tourists will be spoilt for choice with the introduction of three hotels, serviced apartments and conference facilities. They can also look forward to spending time in the new casino, luxury stores, retail precincts, entertainment facilities and restaurants. The proposed $3 billion development will sit on the Southern Spit between Sea World and the Gold Coast Fisherman’s Co-operative, occupying what is currently a state owned site. The five towers will range in height from 20 storeys to 45 storeys, with the western tower facing the Coral Sea, according to the original concept plan. Members of the public will be treated to rooftop terraces, gardens, boardwalks, parks, beaches, elevated walkways and a massive waterfront amphitheatre. Blight Rayner Architecture is the brain behind the design, which seamlessly blends the development with the natural environment. Michael Rayner, a director at Blight Rayner, said they want to create “a conduit of landscape, rather than a divider,” in an interview with ArchitectureAU. “We are keen on developing an ethos of ‘architecture as topography’ with people able to flow up from the ground plane over the roofscapes, which are more like forests compared to mainly paved plazas at ground level,” Mr Rayner said. But not everyone is happy with the proposal. Some local residents have expressed concerns about the height of the towers, as well as the anticipated environmental and traffic impacts, if construction is approved. The proposal exceeds the current three-story height limit in the area, but this could change as the Gold Coast City Council seeks to develop a new masterplan, in cooperation with the Queensland government. Blight Rayner Architecture has defended the plan, saying that height is relative and the proposed towers will be spread out, with the public enjoying access to large areas and widespread environmental initiatives. The Queensland government is now conducting community consultation sessions, ending on the 7th of April.