Thin end of the wedge
Residents fight skinny high rise
SURFERS Paradise residents have launched an 11th-hour bid to stop council today green lighting one of the world’s skinniest residential towers.
The Gold Coast City Council’s planning committee will consider allowing developer Golden Gate to build Wharf Road, a $200 million “hi-tech”, 44-level residential high rise.
It will neighbour the $1 billion, three-tower Jewel development currently being built.
But long-time residents of the neighbouring Breakers North building want council to can the 12m-wide Wharf Road project, saying it will cause greater shadows and drastically increase the area’s density.
The new building’s proximity, a distance of around 10.5m at one point, is also a concern, they say.
Kylie-Ann Frawley has owned a unit on Breakers North’s 11th floor for 13 years and said the Wharf Road building would shut out her natural light and she would be “looking straight into other people’s units”.
“It is such a small block and they want to build a large tower, right next to the Jewel buildings too,” she said.
“I get that this is development and progress but we never thought something like this would happen.”
Fellow Breakers North resident John Geldard said: “I personally implore council to reject the proposed development because it is not a good precedent to set. It is not a good thing for council to disregard long-term ratepayers’ genuine concerns.
“Iconic design can and should be conducted in an appropriate location on a reasonable-size block of land that is not in proximity to its neighbour.’’
Despite the fury of residents, just one objection was made to council from Breakers’ body corporate during the public comment period.
Golden Gate submitted its development application to the council in March, pitching the project as a luxurious building with just 37 units.
This would include 35 “skyhome” units taking out entire storeys with a floorplan ranging from 346-414sq m, a twolevel sub-penthouse and a three-storey penthouse. Also planned was a 450sq m standalone beach house and residents’ wellness facility and spa.
Its small width places it among the world’s slimmest residential buildings. According to documents filed with the council, the design has been revised and the building’s proposed location has been moved to the far west of the beachside site to increase the distance between the new and old buildings.
City planning boss Councillor Cameron Caldwell said the application will be “considered carefully”.
“Council officers have undertaken a thorough assessment and the applicant has made substantial design changes in response to concerns raised by the nearby residents,” he said.