MORE THAN JUST A CRUISE TERMINAL, SAYS ASF

A NEW luxury hotel, a museum, floating restaurants and a waterfront entertainment precinct make up part of the proposed new cruise ship terminal planned for the Gold Coast Broadwater.

ASF Consortium, which has been tagged as the frontrunner to build the $5 billion project, says the project will do to the Gold Coast what Southbank did for Brisbane after Expo 88 in creating a tourism and recreational hub for the city.

The consortium today revealed more details of its concept master plan which will involve a major redevelopment of Wave Break Island.

ASF says the project is being designed to become a tourism drawcard in its own right with plans for a fisherman’s wharf, pavilions, a marine aquarium and wildlife experience centre, ferry terminals and a superyacht club for Wave Break.

The group also has revealed that it is currently in discussion with a global hotel operator and luxury retail brands that currently don’t have a presence in Australia in a bid to lure them to the development.

“We hope the Broadwater proposal will one day do what South Bank did for Brisbane,” says Vaughan Davies, director of urban design firm AECOM which has been enlisted by ASF to drive the planning team.

“This could be what Southport and the communities on the Broadwater will remember as their new legacy project for spurring new development in the Southport CBD and other communities along the way,” he says.

Davies says the project is designed to be inclusive of the public with a key focus on public accessibility to the waterfront and to open space, including promenades, boardwalks and parks.

He says the space will be similar to the Broadwater Parklands, which were also designed by AECOM.

In a breakdown of its proposal, ASF says it will develop a five-star integrated tourism resort at the southern end of The Spit to include conference facilities, a retail mall, residences and an outdoor retail and dining precinct.

Wave Break Island will see the greatest transformation with an entertainment harbour precinct, including a resort complex, luxury hotel and serviced apartments, a themed wharf, superyacht club and cultural park with views to Surfers Paradise and Southport.

Wave Break also will have beachfront resorts, floating restaurants, cafes and piers, a museum, pier and wetland restaurants, a new waterfront residential community with schools, cafes and shops, marina’s, bike trails and local parks.

ASF Consortium project director Allan Fife says the development will have a long-term perspective with up to a 15-year timeframe.

“There will be something new to offer each year, with inevitable changes to reflect consumer interest and expectations,” Fife says.

“It is a visionary and dynamic proposal with a long-term perspective.”

ASF Consortium comprises the Australian listed investment company ASF Group (ASX: AFA), China State Construction Engineering Co Ltd, which is the world’s third largest construction company, and CCCC Guangzhou Dredging Co Ltd, a significant player in dredging and land reclamation for major projects.

Gold Coasters have the chance to air their views on the project by visiting www.goldcoastevolution.com.au or calling 1800 483 261 weekdays between 9am and 5pm.