Government denies Gold Coast casino project

The Queensland Government has rejected the Chinese consortium’s proposal for a US$2.3 billion Gold Coast casino resort.

Australia.- The ASF consortium, a Chinese venture, had planned a casino resort development to be installed on the Southport Spit in Gold Coast but has been denied by the Queensland Government. The US$2.3 billion project’s masterplan will now have to be modified and several months of community consultation are to come.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said at a local council meeting that they are still planning for a possible cruise ship terminal on the oceanside of The Spit, abc.net.au reports. She wants the area to be preserved, restricting new buildings’ height to three stories as “this part of the Gold Coast is unique to Queenslanders but it’s also unique in the world.”

The Chinese consortium’s project included a five-tower devevlopment that would’ve included a casino, entertainment venues, hotels, residential apartments and theaters. ASF was the preferred bidder for a second casino that would create 13k jobs and inject US$558k into the local economy.

According to Palaszczuk, Cabinet decided to terminate the plan in order to create a master planning process for the Spit parklands.

“We’re talking about 190 hectares,” she said and added: “That does not preclude people from developing on that particular area of the Spit, and in relation to the oceanside cruise ship terminal we want the council to continue their work.”