What’s up with coastal protection?

Whether you're a seasoned professional with investing in Surfers Paradise commercial property or a new addition to the scene, there are a couple of developments that you'll need to be aware of. Anyone who lives in this exciting part of southeast Queensland can attest to the fantastic natural environment and spectacular landscape, so it's unsurprising the state government is always on the lookout for ways to sustain these features.

The Commonwealth and Queensland governments have recently released the Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan. As an internationally recognised World Heritage Area, the plan highlights some of the challenges that the Great Barrier Reef faces in the future and how it will address them. The government has also announced that it would be reinstating the Queensland Coast Plan, a set of policies that controls how people use and build along Queensland's waterways and beaches. 

The golden sands in the Surfers Paradise region play an intrinsic role in everyday life in and attract thousands of visitors to the area every year. For commercial investors, it's crucial to keep up to date with these kinds of regulations. They can even influence how you manage and maintain your piece of commercial real estate. In any case, it's important to stay across any laws and regulations in the area – especially when it comes to protecting the environment. 

The Reef 2050 Long Term Sustainability Plan has a wide range of measures to ensure one of the natural wonders of the world remains so for generations to come. Among other things, this includes strengthening coastal planning laws and stopping development from going ahead in ecologically important areas. 

For investors looking to purchase in Surfers Paradise, this is a sound reminder to check up with local government regulations. This is especially the case if you're buying into a new retail or industrial developments.

Protecting the Surfers Paradise environment

The areas surrounding Surfers Paradise are some of the most diverse and vibrant in Australia. Only a stone's throw from the bustling metropolis is the World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforests and the Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands around Moreton Bay. From the hinterland to the coast, there is an incredible array of natural wonders, which makes purchasing Surfers Paradise commercial real estate all the more rewarding. 

With these great natural features comes the need to protect them. The City of Gold Coast has followed in step with the Queensland's coastal planning guidelines with its own set of environment planning regulations. With southeast Queensland growing in leaps and bounds, there is a typical pressure between balancing human activity with preserving the natural environment.

The Sustainable Planning Act 2009 oversees developments in the region, allowing the local government to manage sustainable construction and long-term impacts. There are also Natural Area Management Plans, which are in place to protect natural areas, reserves and wetlands managed by the City of Gold Coast. 

As part of these measures, the state government has also revealed its plan to reintroduce the Queensland Coastal Plan. This will be a large piece of overarching framework that dictates both residential and commercial development along the coastline, but the Property Council of Australia said reinstating it could have some consequences. Queensland executive director Chris Mountford said this has the potential to partition certain areas on the coast from being built on in the future. 

For commercial investors, it is a sound reminder to get a bit of advice from property professionals. The team at Ray White can help you figure out what these plans mean for your Surfers investment and its future.