Lifestyle, Environment, Heritage & Resilience (LEH&R) - 05 February 2026

Key decisions

• Beach Access Program progress noted
  Council noted progress and outcomes of the City's Beach Access Program, including recent service enhancements. Any future expansion would require consideration of additional funding.
  Residents and beach users may benefit from current service improvements, but any broader expansion is not yet funded.
• Support for Springbrook groundwater and observatory project
  Council noted the Springbrook Groundwater Investigation 2025 Final Report, agreed to advocate for State, Federal and/or philanthropic funding for the proposed Queensland University of Technology-led Springbrook Critical Zone Observatory, and recommended $40,000 from proposed 2026-27 Division 9 Local Area Works funding to help advance grant applications.
  Springbrook residents and visitors could see longer-term environmental and water-resource benefits if the observatory project secures funding.
• Water Environment Monitoring Baseline Report endorsed for publication
  Council endorsed the Water Environment Monitoring Program Baseline Report 2018-2024 for publication on the City's website and requested annual update reports come back to the committee before publication.
  Residents will gain public access to water monitoring information and can expect regular updates.
• Climate resilience strategy progress noted
  Council noted progress on the Climate Resilience and Sustainability Strategy and the stakeholder engagement approach for the Gold Coast Climate Risk and Adaptation Planning Project.
  This shapes future planning for climate risks and adaptation across the city, though no direct policy change was adopted at this meeting.
• Disaster resilience score reporting changed
  Council noted the Disaster Resilience Scorecard update and endorsed changing the Disaster Resilience Score measure to a percentage/indexed format for Council Plan 2022-2027 quarterly reporting.
  Residents may see clearer public reporting on the city's disaster resilience performance.
• Biting midge control investigation requested
  The committee asked the Vector and Biosecurity Services Business Unit to investigate the effectiveness of biting midge larvae and adult controls and return a report during 2026 covering past controls, current operations, treatment locations and frequency, benchmarking against other councils, and opportunities to reduce nuisance.
  Residents affected by biting midges may see improved information and potentially better control options following the review.

Important topics

• Forward planning schedule noted
  The committee noted its forward planning schedule.
  This signals upcoming committee work but does not itself change services or policy.
• Committee recommendations were amended
  At least two recommendations were changed at committee level, including the Beach Access Program wording on funding and the Springbrook groundwater recommendation adding philanthropic funding and proposed local area works support.
  Changes broadened potential funding pathways and added proposed local funding support for the Springbrook project.

Resident impacts

• Beach users may benefit from continued Beach Access Program improvements, but expansion is still subject to funding decisions.
• Springbrook may receive additional support for groundwater research and funding advocacy tied to the proposed Critical Zone Observatory.
• Water monitoring results will be made public on the City website, with annual updates expected.
• Citywide disaster resilience reporting will be presented in a clearer percentage/index format.
• Residents troubled by biting midges may see a formal review of treatment methods and service coverage in 2026.

Places affected

• Springbrook (locality)
  Groundwater investigation and proposed Critical Zone Observatory project area.
• Gold Coast (local government area)
  Citywide impacts including climate resilience, disaster resilience reporting, water monitoring publication, beach access services and vector control.
• Division 9 (council division)
  Source of proposed 2026-27 Local Area Works funding for the Springbrook project.

Next steps

• Consider any future expansion of the Beach Access Program through funding decisions
  Future budget consideration
• Advocate for State, Federal and/or philanthropic funding for the Springbrook Critical Zone Observatory
  Ongoing
• Provide proposed $40,000 from 2026-27 Division 9 Local Area Works to support Springbrook grant application work, subject to budget adoption
  2026-27 budget process
• Publish the Water Environment Monitoring Program Baseline Report 2018-2024 on the City's website
  After endorsement
• Bring annual Water Environment Monitoring Program update reports to committee before publication
  Annually
• Implement the revised percentage/index format for Disaster Resilience Score reporting in Council Plan 2022-2027 quarterly reports
  Quarterly reporting cycle
• Investigate biting midge larvae and adult controls and return a report covering control history, current operations, treatment locations and frequency, benchmarking and opportunities to reduce nuisance
  During 2026

Extracted minutes text

864 UNCONFIRMED MINUTES LIFESTYLE, ENVIRONMENT, HERITAGE & RESILIENCE COMMITTEE MEETING THURSDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2026 9:00AM The meeting commenced at 9:07am City of Gold Coast Council Chambers 135 Bundall Road Surfers Paradise 864 Meeting of the Lifestyle, Environment, Heritage & Resilience Committee Unconfirmed Minutes Thursday 5 February 2026 ORDER OF BUSINESS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY ............................................................ 3 1 ATTENDANCE/APOLOGIES .................................................................... 3 2 LEAVE OF ABSENCE ............................................................................... 3 3 CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES ...............................