The Gold Coast’s proposed City Plan clearly shows the region wants to reclaim its iconic status, something which went to ground during its prolonged GFC hangover.

From the 1990s to the noughties, the iconic stretch of coastline inspired a wave of entrepreneurs, giving rise to equally iconic buildings including Palazzo Versace and Ql, Australia’s tallest residential building (Sunland Group); the 77-level Soul tower overlooking Surfers Paradise beach (Juniper); the dual tower Oracle (Niecon); the Wave (Stanley Ho) and several others which have given our linear city an inimitable character. More recently, the luxury Sanbano tower (Sanbano Group) at Coolangatta is adding to the appeal of the city’s south.

The Plan, which is now with the Queensland Government for approval, calls for more of these iconic developments. And it could not come at a more pertinent time. The last of the post-GFC receiver stock, which lain heavy in the marketplace, is gone; the profile of the city is growing in mainland China and Hong Kong; we have a light rail system changing how we move; expanding retail investment led by AMP’s $670m redevelopment of Pacific Fair; a new $2 billion dollar University Hospital; and an expanding education sector attracting international university students. There is also a proposal for a mixed-use cruise ship terminal development. 

From the CBD area of Southport, through Surfers Paradise and down to Broadbeach, the Plan encourages architects to push the limits of tower design. They’re encouraging the bold, the sophisticated, the sleek and sexy: urban designs which reflect the city’s lifestyle. There’s a strong focus on redeveloping the area surrounding the corridor of the light rail – which is less than a year old – to create a critical mass of patronage. 

But the Plan isn’t seeking to become the Manhattan of Australia – it confines the high rise footprint to approximately five per cent of the city’s space. And against the backdrop of the Plan, KPMG’s Bernard Salt has released a discussion paper for how the Gold Coast will evolve between now and 2015, when the city is estimated to be home to 1.2 million people, or double its current population.  It proposes the Gold Coast extend beyond its retirement and tourism attributes to explore the groundwork it’s already laid in the sectors of education and medical, and others.

The Commonwealth Games is the deadline many developers are working toward. While the planning and delivery of some super high rises may be impractical in that time frame, we’re still likely to see a plethora of development pushed through. There were recent estimates that there was $6 billion worth of projects progressing through Council’s planning department earlier this year.

All in all, the Gold Coast is open for business again.