The council likes to quote Jane Jacobs: “People make cities, and it is them, not buildings, that we must fit our plans.”
But when it comes to Surfers Paradise, their own research shows they don’t really believe it.
Back in 2020, they released a 140-page report. It catalogued the state of our parks, roads, curbs, street furniture, lighting, and paving. It listed projects like Appel Park, Palm Avenue walkway, Cavill Park. All important things — but nowhere in those 140 pages did they stop to ask: what makes Surfers Paradise unique? Why do people come here? What is its character? Who drives its energy?
Then they asked for input from people who don’t live here.
By 2023, not much had changed. The new Concept Plan still treated Surfers like a municipal audit, not a cultural icon. It even described us as “wild and wacky” — as if that summed up the people who live here, work here and make this city extraordinary. The people here are not like suburban Goldcoast. The demographics show it. So where is the analysis of the people and the cultures who live in and visit Surfers Paradise to whom “we must fit our plans”?
And that’s the problem. Without a true understanding of Surfers culture, the guiding principles are directionless. We don’t get bold ideas that show off our strengths — we get borrowed suburban solutions.
But Surfers Paradise isn’t a suburban town. It’s a mini-Manhattan on the beach, with the world’s largest ocean lapping at the base of Australia’s tallest towers, in a subtropical climate where the air and sea are the same temperature.
This place deserves its own story. Its own iconography. A Surfers Paradise way.
Instead, what we’ve been given is a plan that fails to understand its people — and in doing so, risks erasing what makes Surfers Paradise one of the world’s great destinations.
What can you do?
The 2 Minute Business Survey
A small action, but powerful if many of us do it. The results will give us real data to show the impact this closure is having on local business.
Once completed, the survey returns you to this page.
Go to the Actions and Contacts Page
Call, write or take a survey, we provide links and resources to make it easy for you to have your opinion heard.
Go to the Business Actions Page
There are many businesses in Surfers Paradise who have seen a downturn. It is time for us to band together and show up in numbers. The time is now. Join us.
Call Council, lodge a complaint.
This is their administrative line and they may advise you to lodge your complaint online. Below is a link to Council’s Complaints page where you can submit online.
Contact the Division 10 Council
Send your story to In Surfers Paradise
Sending a letter to Council can be backed up by forwarding a copy to us. With your permission we can also put it on this website as an open letter.
Send your letter to the Federal member for Surfers Paradise
Contact the Stakeholder Engagement Team
This is the address supplied for business owners and property managers and anyone looking for more information on the Council’s FAQ page.
GC Have Your Say Survey
Note this survey’s questions are heavily loaded. They have a narrow positive framing focussed on a set of benefits which may not result from this plan. You are permitted to disagree with the premise of the questions and mark as "Not important" anything you do not consider to have a valid premise.
Make good use of the comments section.
Join us!
List of videos
Full Report | https://youtu.be/9ECWXxcSpzQ
Report Summary | https://youtu.be/I7iW_HTrVZs
01 Opening Introduction | https://youtu.be/GYHGkkCX-f8
02 The Esplanade is Already Healthy | https://youtu.be/oaQKPhiy5Rg
03 The Cars on The Esplanade | https://youtu.be/k_2Ky4PLNNU
04 Drove the money away | https://youtu.be/dAlmJ0MZi9c
05 The Bind in the Concept | https://youtu.be/-HYQblzC9eY
06 Road is a Dead Zone | https://youtu.be/asNaRY9pX_g
07 Esplanade Muted | https://youtu.be/Mm1zfUQiM6c
08 Business centre bypassed | https://youtu.be/lon4b5OETdA
09 Surfers Paradise Avoided | https://youtu.be/TyJ5dbglrYs
10 Installing a North South Divide | https://youtu.be/tOG7yXxovng
11 Causing Instant Gridlock | https://youtu.be/T3RAI_nFcY0
12 Risking Our Safety | https://youtu.be/_9ZLZ5Xl7mc
13 Emergency Services | https://youtu.be/z69xPjerw3U
14 Using The Wrong Models | https://youtu.be/o5NFQ3pyFQk
15 Breaking the Fun | https://youtu.be/oDylOU1PC5o
16 Attracting which locals? | https://youtu.be/BqmWRso9AWA
17 Failing their own Strategies | https://youtu.be/tuiMntednDg
18 Bending The 71% | https://youtu.be/iaF_g15nuBc
19 Not listening | https://youtu.be/Lu4kECLlWp8
20 Selling Peace and Quiet | https://youtu.be/j_kC5-4haSY
21 Destroying the Brand | https://youtu.be/wlU-pYtc2yo
22 Who is this for? | https://youtu.be/p8tOC8IsIxE
23 Iconic Design and Disruption | https://youtu.be/HX_ZlaA8aZM
24 No Morning Shade | https://youtu.be/zGDce7Lvtlc
25 The Iconic Scenic Drive | https://youtu.be/DzgeTzWYWJk
26 Alternate Design | https://youtu.be/WjIo8EInrEc
27 Hoons | https://youtu.be/_xaabV16BQo
28 The Missing Piece | https://youtu.be/P6ySApXP33g
Cutting down the Poincianas | https://youtu.be/P8QVWhlGWSU
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The 2 Minute Residents Survey
Please join us in speaking up now. Let us know what its biggest impact has been to you.
Once completed, the survey returns you to this page.
The Division Councillors
The Gold Coast council area is divided into 14 divisions. They have to vote to approve funding coming from the one pot. Here is the page of contacts.