Top of the Spit Precinct Plan

At the start of 2023, the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) asked the community their thoughts about any possible "improvements" to the area at the Top of The Spit and Doug Jennings Park. They have collected that data and have now crafted a detailed precinct plan for The Top of the Spit that reflects some of thecommunity's vision in line with The Spit Master Plan (SMP). This Precinct Plan has been split into two options – Option 1 appears to be less intrusive and more in line with community expectations and the premise of the Spit Master Plan, while Option 2 appears to be heading towards the "Urbanization" of the Spit (again).

The GCWA has now presented both precinct plans for public comment, which you can view here – Top of the Spit Options - and have invited SOSA members to provide feedback via the online form on the website (in the text box) or via email at spitmasterplan@gcwa.qld.gov.au – the deadline for feedback is November 26, 2023.

To assist you in registering your valuable feedback, we have gone through and had a look at both options and have presented here a snapshot of our findings that we will be including in our own submissions to the GCWA.

At this point we must pause and thank the staff at GCWA for engaging with the local community and for allowing us to comment – the GCWA is the necessary bridge (and the barrier) between the purse-string holders at the Department of State Development (DSD) in Brisbane, and we are lucky to have them representing us at that level. So please be polite, they will be reading every word of your submissions, and are here to help.

Feedback for Option 1.

The following is a brief summary of the most important points that SOSA is including in our submissions for Option 1 – feel free to copy and paste this information as your own or add or delete anything you feel is necessary before you submit to either the text box on the website, or in your email submission.

 

Ring Road Changes

The suggested changes to the Ring Road are not needed, as the road is currently functioning as required – there is little evidence that the road needs to be changed – to alter the road now, after only 4 years of use is a waste of time and money.
Solution: Leave the road as is please, do not waste money on this.

The Round About

There is evidence that the Round About at the northern end of the car park is not functioning as intended as it was not designed to accommodate larger buses. As a result, the Round About should be enlarged slightly and moved to the south by the distance of one extra car lane. This would allow the buses to loop freely to the south and give more room for recreational access (eg walkers, divers, surfers, fishing enthusiasts) to the northern part of the southern wall. This would also allow for a regular public bus service to be established.
Solution: Move the Round About to the south, do not remove car parking/access for recreational users please.

Parking

All current parking spaces on the southern wall at the northern end of the car park and on the Ring Road should remain in place, and if possible, more parking should be added when the Round About is moved slightly southward. Current evidence shows that recreational access particularly in the early morning for the predominant users (egwalkers, divers, surfers, fishing enthusiasts) should be the priority in this area and any loss of parking will inhibit their usage. Solution: Do not remove any car parking/access for recreational users in the entire precinct please, especially on the southern wall at the northern end of the car park.

Pathways

There is no need for more concrete/hard pathways in the area, especially the proposed path to the beach behind the kiosk, the extra path to Federation Walk, or for any paths to be added to Doug Jennings (DJ) Park as per Option 1. DJ Park should be left as natural an area as possible.
Solution: Do not add any more paths to DJ Park. Do not add any further hard paths (eg hard surface/concrete) to beach side environments on the eastern side. Do not waste money on this, there are enough existing paths.

Lawn Amphitheatre

The proposed Lawn Amphitheatre is not needed, particularly in that space. For educators and school groups a series of small mounds need to be created in the Northeastern corner of DJ Park, near the water tower. From this spot teachers/students can see the entrance to the river, South Stradbroke Island, the Seaway, the Sand Pumping Jetty, Wavebreak and areas to the north and south. This section allows for much greater observation of the whole area, and it's moving parts.
Solution: Relocate the Lawn Amphitheatre to the northeastern corner of DJ Park, ensuring that it is low impact with no hard infrastructure.

General Comment

While Option 1 appears to be the least intrusive option, it is clear that there is still a lot of overreach in the planning.The overwhelming message that came out of the SMP process was "just leave the Spit alone; plant more shade (rather than build shade); preserve and improve the open space and park natural assets and provide basic public amenities e.g. strategically placed and low-key ablution blocks; and provide access to surf, dive, beach and bush areas in an eco-friendly, nature-sensitive manner".

The nature of the excellent work completed at Moodawera Spit should be extended to the whole of the top of the Spit, with outcomes focused mainly on daily users/local residents, particularly in the Northeastern corner which include walkers, divers, surfers, and fishing enthusiasts. We also commend the inclusion of an EV charging station, relocated to the perimeter fence of the sand pumping jetty (security for infrastructure and better access to kiosk and facilities).

Feedback Option 2.

The following is a brief summary of the most important points that SOSA is including in our submissions for Option 2 – feel free to copy and paste this information as your own submission or add or delete anything you feel is necessary before you submit to either the text box on the website, or in your email submission.

 

General Comment

The overwhelming message that came out of the SMP process was "just leave the Spit alone; plant more shade (rather than build shade); preserve and improve the open space and park natural assets and provide basic public amenities e.g.,strategically placed and low-key ablution blocks; and provide access to surf, dive, beach and bush areas in an eco-friendly, nature-sensitive manner."

To that end rubber-based mounds, climbing frames and playground slides etc next to waterways on The Spit (Seaway, Moondarewa Spit, Federation Walk Coastal Reserve, Muriel Henchman Park) are not eco-friendly or nature-sensitive, and should not be included in any design planning for the top of the Spit.

Similarly, no further buildings or hard form infrastructure (including event storage areas, sound shells, staging etc) should be built in the area.

While it is understood that DJ Park is host to approximately 5 - 10 events per year, it is not a designated major event space, and should not be treated as such. Events take up less than 10% of the total usage of the Spit, while over 80% of usage is local residents from Southport, Parkwood, Helensvale and Coomera. All events must bring in their own equipment and then take it out again, leaving only footprints.

Finally, no extra pathways - hard or soft - should be pushed into DJ Park, or the eastern side of the Top of the Spit.

Therefore, we recommend that Option 2 be dismissed completely from any future planning and design works.

Conclusion

Thank you for taking the time to help Save Our Spit. As suggested above, feel free to copy the text we have provided (you don't need to include the images), add your own information if you feel you need to and either paste your submission into the text box provided at Top of the Spit Options, or email spitmasterplan@gcwa.qld.gov.au by November 26, 2023.

If you need help, or have questions, please leave a comment on our Facebook page or contact us at any time - Cheers, SOSA