Plans for 12-Storey Tower on Gold Coast ‘Spine’

Plans for a 12-storey mixed use retail and residential tower in the heart of a low-rise Gold Coast beach suburb have been lodged with the Gold Coast City Council.

Gold Coast developer Daniel Veitch has unveiled plans for The Oxley, a two-storey arched retail podium with an eight-storey residential unit tower on top, taking style inspiration from the Gold Coast’s iconic Pink Poodle Hotel, which was demolished in 2004.

It would be the second stage of the Nobby Beach retail rejuvenation, set on a 2406sq m site next to George Manettas’ The Frederick, which is a complementary design.

The towers would be four-times higher than the three-storey, or 15m high, allowance under current zoning.

The development would include 88 dwellings, retail, and food and drink outlets, according to the BDA Architecture plans for the “subtropical” mixed-use development.

The block fronts the Gold Coast Highway and Lavarack Road at Nobby Beach, and would be within walking distance from the light rail station that is due to be completed at the end of 2024.

According to the development application the site is a “prime opportunity to provide high quality residential and short term accommodation” for the Nobby Beach area.

“This area is becoming an emerging ‘village’ destination with its commercial, retail and food and beverage opportunities,” the report stated.

“The design proposal seeks to create a new integrated development that enhances and activates the boutique retail village that offers food and beverage, office, medical, boutique retail outlets and dining opportunities with the proposed residential apartments above.”

According to BDA Architecture, the development would “respectfully build up the residential density along the Future Light Rail spine”.

Speaking at The Urban Developer’s In Focus: Gold Coast webinar last week, Urbis director Matthew Schneider said the Gold Coast was made up of a series of villages that would be connected by intensive development along the light rail spine.

“The Light Rail Corridor comes in with a mandate for transformational change including scale of development—much more urban,” Schneider said.

“The hitting zones for this are Mermaid, Nobby Beach, Burleigh Heads, Palm Beach, and now to Kirra Beach and Coolangatta.

“Anywhere where that transformational change is happening off the back of infrastructure is where those [development] hot spots are.”