Gold Coast Surge Continues: 40-Storey Tower Planned

The tide may be turning for the Gold Coast’s booming apartment development sector but a surge of tower proposals is continuing for its beachside strip. 

A Sydney developer has lodged plans for a slender 40-storey tower at Broadbeach featuring a cantilevered swimming pool protruding from the side of the building. 

The proposal comprises 113 mostly two and three-bedroom apartments and is topped with a three-level, five-bedroom penthouse. 

All the apartments have been designed to be able to operate as multiple dwelling or short-term accommodation. 

A large communal recreation space planned for the fourth level spans more than 1000sq m and includes the tower’s distinctive pool, a sundeck, plunge pool, outdoor lounge area, yoga lawn, gym and dining facilities.

Plans for the ground floor include a small restaurant and bar component.   

Earmarked for a vacant 1201sq m corner holding at 2797-2799 Gold Coast Highway at the northern end of Broadbeach, the proposal has been filed by Platinum Investments, an entity linked to Ashfield-based Elias Armenis. 

It has been designed by local studio Design Vibe as a “visually striking” built form with “an innovative composition of materials and fenestrations”. 

“The proposed development takes the form of a tall and slender tower, responding positively to its setting along Gold Coast Highway, elevating the apartment units from the busy and noisy road while embracing the sub-tropical coastal lifestyle,” the lodged documents said. 

“The adoption of a sophisticated palette of external materials and finishes, together with the sleek form and styling of the architecture, promises to deliver a uniquely designed residential tower that will resonate positively with the evolving light rail area of Broadbeach.”

▲ A render of the proposed tower at 2797-2799 Gold Coast Highway at the northern end of Broadbeach.

Unlike the numerous one-apartment-per-floor developments on the rise along the Gold Coast beachfront, the Broadbeach proposal has been designed to provide centrally located “more compact housing”. 

“The proposed development will offer a mix of apartment sizes and layouts that will contribute positively to enhancing the availability and choice of housing stock in this key inner-city urban neighbourhood location, to meet the housing needs for a range of household types and sizes,” the planning documents said. 

“Overall, the proposed development produces a responsible and highly desirable urban design outcome, facilitating the rejuvenation of the subject site through a tower of high-quality architectural design boasting an attractive living environment, in a central location.” 

Broadbeach has been the epicentre of the Gold Coast’s apartment tower boom, which is rapidly coming off the boil with a rising number of projects being ditched. 

Sky-high construction costs and crippling labour shortages are putting the crunch on off-the-plan developments before they get out of the ground. 

▲ A render of Morris Property Group's slim-profile apartment tower proposal for 2739 Gold Coast Highway at Broadbeach.

But a heavy load of tower proposals is continuing to be pushed through council as developers move to lock in approvals for future projects ahead of proposed amendments to the city planning laws.

Other recently filed Broadbeach proposals include two from Morris Property Group—a slender 20-storey residential tower on a 607sq m block at 22 Chelsea Avenue and the other a slim-profile 19-storey high-rise on a 627sq m parcel at 2739 Gold Coast Highway.  

The Burling Brown-designed schemes comprise 18 whole-floor apartments and 48 two-bedroom apartments, respectively, and are among four Broadbeach projects the prolific developer has in the pipeline.

Plans also have been lodged for a 24-storey apartment high-rise with petal-shaped floor plates at 21 Broadbeach Boulevard. 

QNY Group, headed by local businessman Anthony Quinn, and Melbourne developer Glenvill Developments are behind the $85-million proposal earmarked for the 511sq m site across the road from the beach.