Half-Built Gold Coast Tower Hits Troubled Waters

A trouble-plagued, half-built Gold Coast dual-tower development has been forced back to the drawing board in a bid to bail itself out of deep water—literally.

Developer Buildcap is battling what it describes as “severe groundwater conditions” at its Marine Quarter project site at the edge of the Southport Broadwater.

Under the reworked plans, it is seeking to scrap the approved basement levels in its yet-to-be-built second stage Scenic Tower, replacing them with two additional upper storeys.

If given the nod, it would bump up the tower’s height from 33 to 35 storeys but still accommodate just its already approved 263 apartments.

The amendments have been submitted on the eve of buyers finally taking up residence in the 105 apartments of the project’s drawn-out first stage, the 30-storey Oceanic Tower.

“The groundwater conditions at the site presented significant challenges and prolonged delay in the delivery of the Stage 1 tower,” a planning report said.

With the pending construction of the second tower, the report also noted there was ongoing disquiet relating to the groundwater conditions on the 1957sq m site bordering the Broadwater Parklands at 163-167 Marine Parade.

It cited “concerns with continuation of basement works in terms of risks associated with connection to the presently sealed western edge of the Stage 1 basement levels, which are very soon to become operational”.

“In order to mitigate these concerns the applicant has engaged the project team to explore solutions for the delivery of the on-site car parking required to meet the needs of the Stage 2 tower, whilst seeking to avoid further delays and risks to the project.”

The revised plans propose two additional parking levels at levels 5 and 6 of the Stage 2 tower that would be accessed via a car lift from the approved level 4 parking area.

No changes are proposed to the floor plans or the mix and number of apartments within the development, albeit the residential levels would start from level 7 rather than level 5.

▲ Renders of the approved Marine Quarter dual tower development at Southport.

The two additional parking levels would sit entirely within the presently approved footprint of the tower levels above and replicate its form and external appearance.

As well, the report said Buildcap had been adversely impacted in the delivery of the development following the collapse in July last year of GCB Constructions, which was contracted to complete the development.

“This has had a considerable impact on the project overall including the impact on purchasers of apartments within the development arising from the delays and complications affecting delivery of the project,” it said.

The Melbourne-based developer had been embroiled in a legal stoush with GCB Constructions over the delivery of the $180-million development but the dispute was eventually settled out of court.

In its submission to the Supreme Court of Queensland, Buildcap said it had given notice for GCB to begin stage two in May 2022 but the builder had asked it to delay its notice until March 2023.

The request was denied and GCB refused to commence works on the second tower claiming the “complex construction project” had “run into major problems”.

In September last year, following the demise of GCB Constructions, Gold-Coast-based Groupline Constructions was appointed to finish the partially completed Marine Quarter project.