FAQs

The Runaway Bay Sports Precinct Master Plan will guide the delivery of new and renewed infrastructure and facilities in the Precinct over the next 20 years. By creating a master plan, we can ensure that the Precinct is designed strategically and that we are using the space to its highest potential.

The Runaway Bay Sports Precinct has grown over time with limited strategic direction, resulting in a layout that has some issues with accessibility (both cars and pedestrian), and has constraints in the types of sports, events and services it can offer.

As the local population grows, so does the impact on our facilities and services. This is our opportunity to provide the local and the sporting community with a first-class, accessible and sustainable Precinct.

No, this is our draft master plan, which we are seeking your feedback on. Therefore, this draft plan is subject to change based on feedback from the local community, key stakeholders and users.

As part of creating this important draft plan, we have worked through several different options and possible layouts of the master plan both internally and with key stakeholder groups. We’re continuing to assess different options as the plan progresses and as we continue our engagement with key groups and the local community.  

All areas of the precinct that are managed by the City of Gold Coast are included in the plan. This includes;

• Runaway Bay Sports Precinct West (for example, the Luke Harrop Memorial Circuit, cricket ovals, fields, netball and tennis courts, skate park)
• Runaway Bay Sports Precinct East (for example, the rugby fields, soccer fields, athletics track and oval)
• Community Facilities (for example, the SES, Runaway Bay Library, Community Centre and Youth Centre)
• Runaway Bay Indoor Stadium.

This master plan does not include the Gold Coast Performance Centre, as this facility is owned and managed by the Queensland Government. We have been working closely with stakeholders from the Centre in developing this plan, to ensure both areas are well aligned into the future.

We want to plan a precinct that is well-suited to the needs of our diverse local and sporting community. The draft plan is informed by the recent Community Services and Facilities Review (which included significant community consultation), and through workshops and discussions with key users of the site about the current uses, constraints and potential future use of the site. We also undertook significant site analysis and modelling. From this work, we are now presenting a draft of what the master plan could look like, and are seeking feedback from key stakeholders and the community on this draft.

Your feedback will be used to inform the final master plan. We want to know your thoughts on the proposed new layout – if you feel it’s more accessible, safer and an overall improvement to the Precinct. We also want your open comments on the draft plan. All of these comments will be provided to the project team and will be taken into account when finalising the plan.

We are proposing to update the current cycle circuit to a two-way Triathlon circuit. Currently, the Luke Harrop Memorial Circuit surrounds sporting fields that are used for touch football, cricket and other events. Though there is a bridge providing access for cars and pedestrians from Oxley Drive, pedestrians accessing the fields from other parts of the precinct (including the Youth Centre carpark) must cross the track to do so, presenting a risk to both pedestrians and cyclists. We also heard from our conversations with site users that balls from the field sports can land on the track, presenting a further risk the cyclists.

Our proposed draft plan keeps the circuit in the same area, but makes it a two-way loop, removing the need for pedestrians to cross the track to access the fields. It also lowers the risk of balls from the field sports landing on the track.

The final master plan will remain high-level, and will not include detailed designs of buildings or infrastructure. The aim of the plan is to guide the new and renewed infrastructure, and propose the best layout of the Precinct – it’s not meant to provide detailed designs of specific buildings. We will always seek stakeholder and community feedback on proposed designs of new or renewed infrastructure in the precinct.

Once approved, the master plan will guide development of the site over the next 20 years. When the master plan is finalised later this year, we will then develop an Implementation Plan. This plan will guide key actions and the timelines for changes to the precinct.

The Runaway Bay Sports Precinct is a premier sporting precinct offering indoor and outdoor facilities for a range of sport including athletics, basketball, cricket, cycling, hockey, netball, pickleball, tai-chu, tennis, triathlon, rugby league, soccer and many others. The site is also home to a number of informal recreation activities, with facilities provided for BMX, darts, skateboarding, picnicking, and dog exercising in a designated off-leash area. 

The Precinct also includes a public library and community centre, a youth centre, Queensland Police Service, Queensland Ambulance, State Emergency Services, and the Gold Coast Performance Centre (operated and managed by the Department of Tourism and Sport). 

Current site map