Nobby’s retail proposal
A DEVELOPER behind scrapped plans for a 12-storey tower in the heart of Nobby Beach has unveiled a new high-end shopping centre proposal in the heart of the oceanfront village.
Daniel Veitch, who abandoned his tower plans in late 2021 and put the site on the market, is taking a third crack at redeveloping the corner of the Gold Coast Highway and Lavarack Road with Oxley House, a three-storey complex which will transform a 2406sq m site.
It is occupied by grocery shop The Farm, a butcher, cafes and shops, as well as restaurant The Backyard.
Under plans lodged with the Gold Coast City Council this week, the existing shopping strip will be integrated into the new complex, which Mr Veitch is pitching as the key to revitalising the suburb.
“The project offers the opportunity to redefine the existing Nobby Beach neighbourhood centre and create a new retail destination,” a report filed with council reads.
“The proposal will create an integrated and boutique retail village that will enhance the current commercial offerings of the prominent Nobby Beach corner site..”
Its key features will include a “metro-scale” supermarket, new restaurants and five smallform retail tenancies.
“The upper floor will provide a vibrant atmosphere with a series of restaurants looking out to the city skyline,” the report reads.
Oxley House is named for surveyor John Oxley who led an expedition aboard the Mermaid that took in the Tweed Valley and South Stradbroke Island in 1823.
Mr Veitch’s application will be assessed by the council’s Planning Committee in early 2023.
It marks the latest twist in plans to redevelop the heart of Nobby Beach.
In mid-2020, Mr Veitch and Fruiterer George unveiled The Oxley and The Frederick two complementary developments that borrowed from the arched architecture of former Gold Coast landmarks such as the Pink Poodle Motel, the Southport Bathing Pavilion, and the still-standing Santa Nita building in Southport.
The pair of two-storey shopping centres was approved by the council in early 2021.
In June that year, the pair filed revamped plans to instead build two 12-storey towers on the sites.
The proposed towers were four times higher than the Nobby zoning, which allows for buildings of three levels or up to 15m.
The Oxley and The Frederick projects, if approved, would have become the biggest projects in the suburb’s history.
However the project was dumped after residents rallied against the development n and the council issued a scathing request for information about the project, advising the developers it would have to be redesigned at four storeys before its assessment could continue.