Snapper Rocks to Rainbow Bay Foreshore Precinct Draft Master Plan

What is a master plan?

A master plan provides a long-term (20-year) vision to guide how we manage and protect this iconic foreshore precinct. It outlines a staged direction for improvements to ensure the area remains safe, accessible, sustainable, and resilient. This draft plan will help shape future projects and funding decisions. Any specific design elements shown at this stage are illustrative only to help people visualise our ideas - they are not final.

Importantly: nothing will happen overnight. Changes will be delivered in stages over time, and each future project will involve more detailed planning, design work and opportunities for the community to have their say.

No decisions have been made about the surf club
The Rainbow Bay Surf Lifesaving Club is not being demolished. The draft plan simply flags that the building is ageing and will likely need to be upgraded within the next 20 years. Any future changes, whether a refurbishment, redesign or relocation, would be shaped through detailed consultation with the Club and the local community.

No net loss of car parking
We are proposing to pedestrianise Snapper Rocks Road to improve safety, access, and green space, but any car parks removed will be replaced elsewhere in the precinct.

This is not a final design
This is a draft master plan, not a construction plan or detailed design. It outlines ideas and priorities based on what the community told us. We're now seeking your feedback to refine it further.

What’s in the master plan?
Last year, we asked how you use and value the Snapper Rocks to Rainbow Bay foreshore. Over 1,000 people shared feedback, and more than 300 joined us at community pop-ups.

You said:

• You love the natural beauty and want it protected.
• You value the area’s unique character and charm.
• You want better accessibility, including wider paths and more parking.
• You support improved amenities, as long as they complement the area’s natural feel.
• You want the area’s vibrant surf culture and great quality surf to be preserved in the future.

We used this important feedback to draft our master plan for the area. We are proposing:

• Transforming Snapper Rocks Road from a car park into a pedestrian-friendly space. This bold change will allow visitors to safely enjoy the Oceanway, coastal views and recreation, while creating a more harmonious and welcoming entry to the surf club. Importantly, there will be no net loss of parking spaces in the precinct, and the final plan may deliver an overall increase.
• Revitalising the Rainbow Bay foreshore, Snapper Rocks headland and Point Danger with more coastal planting, additional shade, and new seating to enhance comfort and connection to the natural surroundings.
• Creating a new, more accessible Oceanway that wraps around the headland, linking Apex Park with Point Danger, and improving safety and connectivity for all users.
• Identifying the future need to redevelop the Rainbow Bay Surf Lifesaving Club to ensure long-term safety, accessibility, and usability. The current building is ageing and will require replacement over the next two decades. This early-stage plan simply flags the need for this, with no final design decisions made. Any future redevelopment would involve further community consultation and be guided by strong local heritage and design values.
• Celebrating the area's world-renowned surf culture and iconic community organisations like the Snapper Surfriders Club, with design elements that honour the Superbank, support flexible open spaces for surf crowds and events, enhance surf-related amenity, and reflect the ever-changing spectacle of sea and surf.

Click to enlarge: draft master plan

What’s next?
After this round of feedback, the plan will be updated and an implementation plan prepared. Both will go to Council for consideration. If endorsed, future projects identified in the plan will move a detailed design phase, where there will be considerable further consultation with the community on what these projects will look like.

Have your say

We want you to have your say about the future of the precinct. Tell us how you feel about our draft master plan via the feedback form.

Visit us in person at one of our upcoming pop-up kiosks on the Snapper Rocks foreshore area to ask questions and have your say:

• Tuesday, 3 June, 7–10am
• Thursday, 5 June, 7–10am
• Saturday, 7 June, 7–10am

The consultation is open until 13 June 2025.