In a pro-active move to represent local business and community interests, The Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce presented ideas for the Local Area Plan (LAP) to Gold Coast Mayor, Ron Clarke, at the latest Chamber meeting (May 6) at the Tarrabora Room, Palm Beach Parklands.

 

The suggestions submitted and graciously accepted by the Mayor were taken from the results of the 2009 Palm Beach Business Survey conducted by the Creek the Creek Chamber of Commerce in 2009. Chamber resources were used to contract local urban design group Cardno S.P.L.A.T. to map out a series of LAP solutions based on findings from the survey.

 

The survey results show that the three most valuable assets of the Palm Beach area according to local business and community members are the beautiful beaches, the natural landscapes of creeks and headlands, and the quick, convenient access to the airport and M1 freeway.

 

The three big ticket items on the agenda were that the CDB façade and shop fronts are in need of a face lift and new street-scaping, that the Palm Beach/Currumbin area remain free of parking meters and that the future planning of Palm Beach should be open to all community groups.

 

The three main issues currently causing concern is that the CBD façade looks tired and old; problems with vandalism, safety and youth violence, and that the bad reputation and crime stigma of Palm Beach is still prevalent.

 

The survey also shows that there are many ways the community will benefit from future planning by the local government, and that business community participation is crucial to positive growth and development in the area. The future vision for Palm Beach includes improvements in urban design, architecture, open spaces planning and design, community and youth programs, M1 upgrades and QR Southern Rail Expansion.

 

Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce President, Darren Mackintosh says that the Chamber members took the pro-active move last year to conduct a region wide survey of member and non-member business owners in the Southern Gold Coast region, “ We were sick and tired of the beaurocracy of the inaction of the Palm Beach LAP (Local Area Plan).” Mr. Mackintosh said, adding “The Chamber and many other local groups have participated in forum after forum called by the GCCC since 2007, and the delays were meaning that the LAP had been put on the back-burner for too long.”

 

“This survey and subsequent recommendations show that the local business community are pro-active in proposing suggestions and recommendations for the Southern Gold Coast,” said Mr Mackintosh. “We no longer are prepared to sit back and watch the local street scaping take second class to other suburbs that reap hundreds of thousands of dollars of local government funding in such areas as beautification.”

 

As yet, the GCCC and Division 13 Councillor Daphne McDonald has yet to respond or acknowledge the Chamber findings and submission.

 

A detailed power point of the survey results can be viewed here

 

About Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce:

The Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce is the peak business body for the Palm Beach, Currumbin, Tugun, Tallebudgera and Elanora region of the southern Gold Coast.

 

The Creek to Creek Chamber of Commerce has regular monthly events featuring speakers from leading business, special interest and political backgrounds. These events are a chance to meet and network with other business leaders from the local area and formulate opinion on issues facing the region.