Stalled Tower’s Developer Greenlit for Tweed Highrises

A Gold Coast developer embroiled in a dispute that has stopped work on a $100-million highrise project has been given the nod for a twin-tower proposal across the border at Tweed Heads.

Heran Building Group has been granted approval in the NSW Land and Environment Court for two 14-storey towers comprising 122 apartments.

Its original application was refused by the Northern Regional Planning Panel in July last year, citing the bulk, massing and modulation of the buildings would result in adverse impacts on the streetscape and an adjoining park.

The project’s town planners, Zone Planning Group, said “a rigorous assessment and design review process” had resulted in two slender towers “that exhibit a well-articulated and attractive architecture”.

“In approving the development, the court found that the development achieved design excellence,” it said.

“Together with its adjoining Bay View Grand development, Heran is helping to shape the future of Tweed Heads and bring about the long overdue redevelopment of the Tweed Heads Town Centre first envisaged … well over a decade ago.”

The greenlit Jackson Teece-designed project is earmarked for a 3640sq m site at 13-19 Enid Street.

Under the approved plans, its two towers—separated by 930sq m of ground-level communal recreation space with a pool, deck, gym, seating, barbecue and turfed areas—would sit above three basement parking levels for 179 cars and a four-level, arch-filled podium.

“The building separation is carefully considered to provide a view corridor through the centre of the development above the ground-level common area recreational terrace,” the documents said.

The north and south towers would accommodate 66 and 56 apartments, respectively—with a total of 3 one-bedroom, 73 two-bedroom, 44 three-bedroom and 2 four bedroom units.

▲ Renders of Heran’s approved two-tower proposal at Enid Street, Tweed Heads.

The tower facades feature a highly articulated design with splayed walls, deep arched window reveals and varying external balcony depths incorporating materials such as the applied stone or concrete finishes at the podium levels, sculpted and expressed concrete slabs and parapets, glazed balustrades, and solid planter boxes.

Both investment and owner-occupier type apartments would be offered.

“The proposal will contribute to the neighbourhood in a positive way both socially and economically…[providing] an opportunity for a diverse range of people to form a community, with a large range of one, two, three and four-bedroom dwellings that provide a variety of household requirements.” 

Meanwhile, work on Heran’s near-complete 39-storey, 119-apartment Midwater tower at Main Beach—being developed under its York Property Holdings—came to an abrupt halt this month [September] due to a payment dispute with builder Tomkins.

Formally walking off the job and leaving the project in limbo, Tomkins terminated its contract, claiming the developer had “failed to meet their obligations”.

Since then, however, the developer has reportedly said it would take over the build and complete the project itself.

Construction had been under way on the site at 3496 Main Beach Parade for more than three years and the tower was only a few levels from topping out.

The stoush highlighted the industry’s prevailing challenging and volatile environment.