{"id":5071,"date":"2026-05-05T08:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T08:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/5071\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T08:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T08:41:07","slug":"surfers-paradise-esplanade-closed-permanently-after-tense-council-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/5071\/","title":{"rendered":"Surfers Paradise Esplanade closed permanently after tense council vote"},"content":{"rendered":"

Surfers Paradise is set for a major transformation, with pedestrians prioritised over cars as the Gold Coast council embarks on a $100 million revitalisation of the tourist precinct.<\/p>\n

A 250-metre section of the Esplanade around Cavill Avenue will be closed to traffic permanently and converted into an open pedestrian space after an eight-month trial.<\/p>\n

Surfers Paradise councillor Darren Taylor told Tuesday’s City of Cold Coast council meeting that there were valid concerns around traffic congestion and business impacts, but data from the almost $3 million trial supported permanent closure.<\/p>\n

“Any decision like this always divisive, but if we want the best for Surfers Paradise and the city, we have to make these divisive decisions,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The long-term success of Surfers Paradise is not built on vehicles moving through but creating a place where people want to spend time.”<\/p>\n

Council surveys between 2019 and 2025 found many locals viewed Surfers Paradise as “tired” and “underwhelming<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

Cr Taylor said design work on a broader $100 million revitalisation of the Surfers Paradise mall and foreshore could begin in 2027-28.<\/p>\n

The revitalisation will create “a leafy, world-class boulevard that invites strolling, gathering, and relaxation”, according to council documents.<\/p>\n

\"joggers<\/p>\n

Sunrise at the Surfers Paradise Esplanade and boardwalk. (ABC Gold Coast: Dominic Cansdale)<\/p>\n

Clash over traffic impacts<\/p>\n

Council surveys showed 72 per cent community support for the closure with positive impressions on pedestrian safety, economic benefits and visitor experience.<\/p>\n

The trial involved outdoor movie nights and live music performances, with hammocks and a sand pit also installed.<\/p>\n

While almost half of local businesses initially opposed the trial, support increased to 71 per cent after traffic conditions were changed to ease congestion on local roads.<\/p>\n

But during the meeting, Councillor Brooke Patterson repeatedly clashed with Mayor Tom Tate, suggesting council staff had not met their statutory obligation to provide sufficient data on broader traffic impacts.<\/p>\n

“To permanently close a road that serves 9,000 commuters every day \u2014 this is not a minor adjustment,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"tall<\/p>\n

Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast is set for a council-funded $100 million revitalisation program. (ABC Gold Coast: Glenn Mullane)<\/p>\n

Cr Patterson said there was not enough modelling conducted into how roads “already running at capacity” in neighbouring suburbs would be impacted.<\/p>\n

“It tells us increased traffic on Bundall Road is likely but it doesn’t give us any detail volume modelling or peak hour stress testing,” she said.<\/p>\n

But council CEO Tim Baker said he was “extremely confident” enough information had been made available, with traffic delays of only 9 seconds expected on Bundall Road.<\/p>\n

“There’s been ample opportunity for councillors to debate this motion and ask any question that they have,” he said.<\/p>\n

‘Work in progress’<\/p>\n

Surfers Paradise Surf Life Saving Club assistant manager Paul Wallis said his venue had expanded its seating onto the Esplanade.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Paul Wallis says the closure has helped the surf club. (ABC Gold Coast: Glenn Mullane)<\/p>\n

“Currently we’re tracking about 20 per cent up on growth,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We have this amazing spot now where people can actually come outside and enjoy what this esplanade is meant to be about.”<\/p>\n

While Mr Wallis acknowledged some businesses may have been hurt by the closure, he hoped it would be a positive in the long run.<\/p>\n

“Once it is finalised and we can have it for good, you’ll see a lot more businesses along this esplanade really benefiting from it,” he said.<\/p>\n

But Surfers Paradise businessman Robert Luxford said the closure had been a “disaster” for the local economy.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Robert Luxford is critical of the esplanade trial. (ABC Gold Coast: Glenn Mullane)<\/p>\n

“We’ve got people who are likely to lose their house if they can’t get out of four-year leases,” he said.<\/p>\n

“We’ve got restaurants 40 per cent down in trade with repeated no-shows [because] it’s too hard to get there.”<\/p>\n

Mr Luxford said the trial’s data was flawed.<\/p>\n

“The council claims a 68 per cent boost in foot traffic here, but that’s following on from Cyclone Alfred and our beaches being fenced off,” he said.<\/p>\n

“That is hardly surprising and not an endorsement of the project.”<\/p>\n

However, Upper Coomera resident Margaret Neve said the closure had little impact on her access to the Esplanade.<\/p>\n

“It’s peaceful, you don’t hear hooning and it gets you away from everyday life,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Margaret Neve relaxes with her dog Koda at Surfers Paradise Esplanade. (ABC Gold Coast: Glenn Mullane)<\/p>\n

“We park down the road and then we walk up, I can’t see it being a problem \u2014 plus there’s trams,” she said.<\/p>\n

Local Casper Van Niekerk said he had not noticed a difference in congestion but that there could be more shade, greenery and “sandy patches” along the walkway.<\/p>\n

“It’s safe for families and it’s easier to walk around, no more traffic lights,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I think it’s a work in progress.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Surfers Paradise is set for a major transformation, with pedestrians prioritised over cars as the Gold Coast council…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5072,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[22,21,6360,6359,3352,6355,1311,6357,6358,6356,4980,6362,6361],"class_list":["post-5071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-austrlia","tag-beach-club","tag-closed","tag-council","tag-esplanade","tag-gold-coast","tag-paradise","tag-road","tag-surfer","tag-surfers","tag-surfers-paradise","tag-trump-tower"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5071"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5071\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5071"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5071"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5071"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}