Intervention call for tower

A GOLD Coast MP wants the state government to use its rare “call-in” powers to overrule a decision on a controversial Palm Beach tower.

Council this month approved Hemingway, a 14storey mid-rise planned for Jefferson Lane.

The tower, named after The Old Man and the Sea author Ernest Hemingway, is the first Gold Coast project by developer Hirsch & Faigen.

But Burleigh MP Michael Hart wants the state government to step in and enforce new planning conditions. He argued the tower would “smash the boundaries” of planning laws because of its density and site cover.

“I have been contacted by a number of local residents who are unhappy with this approval and are of the opinion approvals such as this are causing perverse outcomes that only benefit the developer,” he said.

“I am not opposed to sensible development but developments such as this push the boundaries.

“In fact, this development smashes the boundaries of our planning laws. This will only lead to bigger and greater problems for the residents of my electorate.”

Mr Hart asked the state government to “consider calling this development in and conditioning it back to something more appropriate for the area”.

Nearby residents objected to the project, saying its height and density were not in keeping with the area’s character.

However, council approved the mid-rise on the basis it was “not considered to offend the local skyline” and was “appropriately serviced by infrastructure”.

An assessment of Hemingway’s

design by the council’s office of architecture and heritage said it would “reinforce the local identity” and “contribute to the emerging character of the area”.

“The development as a whole provides a distinct architectural appearance through its form which incorporates subtle design elements of the 1950s and 1960s beach house, articulated floorplate, sculptured columns and projections which are combined with high-quality material selections which include applied finishes in varied sandstone shades,” council analysis stated.

Hirsch & Faigen bought the 1644sq m site, which fronts Jefferson Lane, the Gold Coast Hwy and Seventeenth Ave, for $3.85m in 2016.

The beachfront luxury boutique tower will feature 78 units with a mixture of between one and four bedrooms and 115 car parks.