Gold Coast casino to be built next to Sea World

The decision will allow the multi-million-dollar project to go ahead after the previous plan to build a casino with cruise ship terminal on Wave Break Island was rejected.

Sea WorldState Development Minister Anthony Lynham confirmed the new site would be a five-hectare parcel near Sea World. “I know the Gold Coast has been waiting on this news, but it’s been important to get this right,” said Lynham. “This level of development doesn’t necessarily have to go through an EIS process, but it does have to go through a raft of community consultation.”

Chinese-backed ASF Consortium proposed to invest up to $7.5bn to build the Gold Coast Resort and Cruise Ship terminal on Wave Break Island, which would have been the biggest-ever tourism project in Brisbane. The new Labour government vetoed the plan with strong resistance from community groups claiming the project would tarnish the city’s tourism.

But the government recognised a project of such magnitude would bring millions of dollars into the local economy and scrambled ideas to enable the project to go ahead. The decision to allow the integrated resort next to Sea Would without a cruise ship terminal is a compromise, said Lynham, adding that it will boost tourism and create thousands of jobs.

“There will be a detailed planning proposal bought forward in the first quarter of 2016 and after that it is open for detailed public consultation,” continued Lynham. “But the integrated resort development process is between the state and the proponents. Once we have detailed submissions and begin community consultation, Gold Coast City Council will come into this.”

Plans for the new development are yet to be unveiled, however ASF Consortium local project director Tim Poole said it is unlikely to be ready before the Commonwealth Games in April 2018. Poole added that the facility will aim to target the rapidly expanding Asian tourism market but the Company is effectively starting again with its concept.

“We do know what the community values the most and that will be a starting point for the design of this integrated resort,” commented Poole. “Competition is stiff around the world so we want to build on what the Gold Coast has got to offer and with this great location on the Spit we are pretty confident we can come up with something really special.”