108 LIFE STOREYS
Cradle-to-grave supertower with hospital, childcare, uni and old folks’ home
RESIDENTS of a proposed Southport supertower could be born, married and retire in the 108-storey colossus which would include a hospital, church and old-folks’ home. Imperial Square, planned for Meron Street, would be the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere at 108 storeys. A five-star hotel, university or college and shopping centre are part of the plan. Stage one has already been approved
A CRADLE-to-grave vertical city is planned for Southport where residents could be born, learn and grow old in the Southern Hemisphere’s tallest building.
Azzura Corporation has lodged an application to build the 108-storey tower as the centrepiece of its Imperial Square.
The supertower would sit on a six-level podium featuring 50,000sq m of floor space for a university or college, libraries, eateries, and a shopping centre. By comparison, The Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre has about 6000sq m of exhibition space.
Once complete, Imperial Square would be a self-contained suburb with its own church, hardware store, service station, emergency services, unspecified “tourist attraction” and retirement home.
The massive landmark would be flanked by two other towers of 48 and 68 storeys.
When complete, the main tower would be the tallest in the Southern Hemisphere, beating the recently announced Orion Towers, a 103level complex planned for Surfers Paradise.
Q1, at 78-levels, currently holds the record but it is set to be surpassed by the Spirit tower which is under construction on the Surfers Paradise foreshore.
Azzura is headed by veteran Gold Coast property identity Robert Badalotti who built the Surfers Paradise Azzura Resort tower and Hope Island’s Azzura Greens.
Earlier this year Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure held talks with him about developing a $100 million hotel next to the theme park.
The Gold Coast City Council is due to vote on the ambitious proposal later this year but the first stage of Imperial Square was signed off in December 2016.
This includes a 20-level, 210 room hotel and 420-room student accommodation complex.
International hotel group StayWell has been appointed operator of the Hotel Imperial Square.
StayWell operates the Leisure Inn and Park Regis brands throughout Australia, Asia, India, the Middle East and the UK. In a statement to the Bulletin, Azzura said the hotel would be an “exciting new millennial style, Gen Y brand”.
“This captures Australia’s two largest non-resources export sectors – education and tourism,” the developer said.
“The towers will include an extension of the podium education facility by way of a vertically integrated education campus complimented by a medical centre, apartment accommodation, additional student accommodation, gyms,
theatres, and a five-star hotel complex.
“This project makes the Gold Coast competitive in the education sector.”
Azzura has launched an international expression of interest campaign to select a student accommodation operator and the university or college.
The Council last year announced plans to relax infrastructure charges for developments which provide student accommodation as part of an “education kickstart” program to stimulate the billion dollar industry.
Azzura says this program will be important to its development going ahead and would help make the city more competitive in the education sector.
Southport councillor Dawn Crichlow backed the development. “They already have approval for the first stage and it is a really nice site which is within walking distance of the light rail,” she said.
“It would certainly add something to Southport and I get really excited when things start happening.”
UDIA state president Stephen Harrison said developers with larger land holdings were looking at building social infrastructure to support residential units.
“Larger applications for projects such as these are being submitted and this is happening because it is understood infrastructure and services are needed to compliment the residential components,” he said.
“If lots of people are going to live there, it is important that social and commercial elements such as food, convenience shops, healthcare and other features are included on the ground levels.
“This is a smarter way of preparing developments of this nature in locations such as Southport.”
A vision of the future – see our video guide to the towers planned for the Coast at goldcoastbulletin.com.au