‘Top of Town’ Caloundra Shoptop Apartments Revealed

Plans have been filed for an 11-storey apartment project in the heart of Caloundra on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. 

The proposal for 1-9 Bulcock Street and 45-47 Bombala Terrace has been submitted by Bulcock Projects Pty Ltd, a vehicle of GVG Equity. 

The application now before the Sunshine Coast Council seeks a material change of use to develop 179 units primarily for residential use but also to be operated as short-term accommodation at the discretion of unit owners.

The apartment mix proposed is 78 will be one bedroom, 22 two bedroom, 59 three bedroom and 20 four bedroom. 

The Ellivo Architects-designed apartments would sit above a one to two-storey podium in two apartment towers, which would replace lowrise commercial buildings on the site.

There would be five commercial tenancies on the lower floors, including space for retail, a health centre, and food and drink outlets.

The plans also cover parking on three levels including a basement for 377 vehicles and 249 bikes and a landscaped public plaza. 

It will be developed in two stages, with stage 2 also including a pool and barbecue areas for tower residents and visitors, with a dining and function room on level three.

The site consists of nine parcels with an area of 5296sq m with site frontages to Knox Avenue, Bulcock Street, Canberra Terrace and Bombala Terrace, owned by Caloundra Central Pty Ltd.

▲ A render of the 1-9 Bulcock Street apartment proposal.

The amalgamated lot was put up for sale in 2023 and has been subject to a number of development applications, most recently in 2020 when Caloundra Central put forward a 138-unit resort. Another proposal had called for 194 units. 

The Caloundra Local Plan identifies the site as a “top of town” key site, to be developed as  an “exemplar mixed-use development that anchors the eastern gateway into Bulcock Street and showcases the site’s spectacular views and prominent location”.

If approved, the development would sit in a “transitional” space between Caloundra CBD and established residential neighbourhoods, and the plan “maximises the site’s locational opportunities by accommodating both residential and commercial land uses”. 

Caloundra absorbed much of the population growth experienced on the Sunshine Coast during the pandemic, and the population will grow, according to forecasts, to more than half a million people by 2046. 

House and unit prices have escalated with the growing demand.

In the past 12 months, the median unit price in Caloundra has climbed 16.6 per cent to $755,000, according to RealEstate.com.au.