Beach Bars, now known as “Dining Precincts”, have been secretly planned for areas on the Gold Coast sand at Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. IA Founder, David Donovan, investigates.
The latest meeting agenda for the City of Gold Coast (COGC) Planning and Regulation Committee reveals that council officers have been working secretly on new Beach Bar proposals for Gold Coast beaches. The Beach Bars, now known as “Dining Precincts”, have been secretly planned for areas on the sand in front of the Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club (SPSLC) and the Kurrawa Surf Life Saving Club (KSLSC).
The original 3-month 2022 Beach Bar Trial at Kurrawa, operated by a company based in Melbourne (Australian Venue Co — owned by a large U.S. investment fund), was a dismal failure. The COGC reported that approximately 44,000 people attended the venue and yet it only partially operated on 47 days (out of a possible 76 of trade) due to typical Gold Coast summer storm conditions.
Add to that the loss of public amenity to the local community, and the fact that the ratepayers footed the bill for the trial (COGC did not charge Australian Venue Co rent for the site or any waste, water, or infrastructure fees), meant that there was zero return on investment for the local community.
As a result, then Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart, recognising the community’s opposition via a submission from Surfrider Australia, instructed the COGC that “Owners Consent” would not be provided by the State for any further plans for a Beach Bar in Kurrawa. If the COGC wishes to continue with their plans, they will need to consult with the local community through an area Master Plan and apply for a Material Change of Use (MCU) for the site. COGC resolved to continue with their plans in late 2022.
However, there is no record of any Master Plan or Community Engagement program being publicly reported by the COGC, nor any record of an MCU being registered with the state.
Minister Stewart made it clear publicly that the local community had sent him clear signals about the issues surrounding the Kurrawa Beach Bar Trial, which assisted Resources in making decisions about the use of State Government land in the area, he said:
“Many years of consistent public advocacy from the Surfrider Foundation has allowed for the local community on the Gold Coast to clearly articulate its preference for beaches to remain as public assets.”
Member for Surfers Paradise, John-Paul Langbroek, has today demanded that the Gold Coast City Council dump its Surfers Paradise beachfront plaza and reopen The Esplanade to traffic, which is where the new “Dining Precinct” is located.
Langbroek, who has obviously been kept in the dark about the COGC Beach Bar plans, has stated that the lack of emergency access and community opposition are reasons to reopen The Esplanade.
Langbroek said:
“I have been waiting to hear Council’s plan for The Esplanade and I am calling for them to reopen it.”
Community Alliance Association President John Hicks said that his organisation opposes commercialisation and privatisation of the beaches as “they are public assets owned by all in the community, not by the council".
Hicks said that the council’s own community engagement on the Broadbeach foreshore plan and previous Kurrawa Beach Club option confirms that most in the community share this view, and his organisation will be calling on the COGC to come clean with the residents of the Gold Coast.
The next meeting of the City of Gold Coast (COGC) Planning and Regulation Committee will take place on Tuesday, 21 April 2026.
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