Gold Coast mayor Tom Tate propositions to spend a “modest $70 million” to build a cruise ship terminal on the ocean side of the Southport Spit in his key bid to maintain the mayoralty.
But, community group Save Our Spit described the bid as a “distraction” without enough information to truly judge and question its impact on ocean sand drift.
But there is a obstacle! Community group Save Our Spit labelled the bid as a “distraction” lacking information to really judge and question its effect on ocean sand drift.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “Theme-Park Buggieswill cart passengers from the proposed terminal along an 800-metre jetty” explains Cr Tate. [/pullquote]
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “If you’ve been to Universal Studios you get off the ship and you get on to those long buggies,” he said. [/pullquote]
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “I’d theme it that it is arriving at one of the biggest theme park in the world; that is the city of the Gold Coast.”
[/pullquote]
Cr Tate estimated a cruise ship terminal on the Southport Spit would inject up to $30 million into the Gold Coast economy, due to the 140,000 new visitors each year.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “It would be half a nautical mile to the ocean,” Cr Tate said of his cruise ship terminal, which would need to be in a minimum of 16 metres of water at low tide [/pullquote]
In 2012, Cr Tate considered an ocean-side cruise ship terminal. Which became part of the previous state government multi-billion model for Wavebreak Island inside the Southport Broadwater.
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “I have respect for the Premier’s wishes” he said. [/pullquote]
[pullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””] “She has said she did not want a cruise ship terminal going inside the Broadwater and here we are we are on the ocean side.” [/pullquote]
Cr Tate believed the suggestion was “far more modest” compared to the Wavebreak Island plan.
If he gained the mayoralty, Cr Tate said he would have thorough environment and engineering work complete on his ocean-side proposal.
Cr Tate said he had not spoken with the ASF Consortium, which supported the first Gold Coast Cruise ship terminal, about his new proposal.
I would support any attempt to bring Cruise ships here but it must also be able to take passengers on as well as off. And unless they can come up with a mythical monster that only Save the spit people can see I would ignore them or set this a voting point which if re-elected would give a mandate to the winning candidate.
It is about time we had a Council that looks after the whole of the community not just the loud mouthed element who have nothing better to do than look at and for some mythical creatures to stop progress for the majority of people. The jetty needs to be wider and capable of taking people to the ship as well as from the ship