The government of the Australian state of Queensland has quashed plans to build a A$3b resort casino project on the Gold Coast, leaving the would-be operator mulling legal action.

On Tuesday, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk officially pulled the plug on ASF Consortium’s proposal to build a massive integrated resort on the Gold Coast’s Southport Spit area, bringing an end to years of false starts and missteps by the Chinese-led consortium.

Palaszczuk justified the rejection of ASF’s proposal as necessary to preserve the parkland’s reputation as “a unique site … the equivalent to what Central Park is to New York.” Palaszczuk said ASF’s proposal for five high-rise hotel towers would result in “something of an eyesore” for the region, and all future development of the Spit will be capped at three-story structures.

While the resort plans are officially toast, Palaszczuk said that the opportunity remains for ASF to build a casino in the Gold Coast region. It was only this weekend that Australian media reported that ASF had inked a deal with US casino operator Caesars Entertainment to manage gaming operations at the proposed resort.