Chasecrown lodges plans for $165m luxury apartments on Glenelg foreshore

A strip of high-rise development on Glenelg’s foreshore is set for another addition, with plans for a $165m luxury apartment tower.

Artist's impression of Chasecrown’s $165m apartment development on the South Esplanade, Glenelg.

Glenelg’s foreshore is set for another high-rise development, with plans for a $165m luxury apartment tower on the South Esplanade.

Developer Chasecrown has lodged plans to transform the Seawall Apartments site, around 500 metres south of Moseley Square, into a luxury tower comprising 93 apartments.

The building has been designed to scale in height from five storeys at the southern boundary to 13 stories at the northern end where a laneway links the esplanade with Oldham Street.

The project would bookend a strip of high-density development between the Stamford Grand and Pier Street.

Details of the project will soon be released by the State Commission Assessment Panel (SCAP) for public consultation.

All seven existing buildings on the site will need to be demolished to make way for the development, including a two-storey Victorian mansion at 22-23 South Esplanade which is local heritage listed.

Chasecrown argues a heritage review of the property found the building had “low historical authenticity in its built form and fabric”.

“In addition, the building has undergone significant alteration, with any attempt to recover its original historic form requiring approximate reproduction which would add no heritage value,” the company says in its submission.

Artist's impression of the pedestrian link between the esplanade and Oldham Street.

Pending approval and the sufficient pre-sale of apartments, the project will create 400 jobs during construction.

Chasecrown director and project architect Louis Kanellos said the development would also include a significant investment in the public areas around the building.

The pedestrian link between the esplanade and Oldham Street would be upgraded with new trees, landscaping, green walls and a patterned brick walkway, Mr Kanellos said, while a new public art installation designed by a local artist would feature on the esplanade.

He said the “world-class design” of the precinct had been inspired by the idea of a “healthy coastal lifestyle”.

“The building’s design and proposed enhancements to the public realm surrounding the building will not only enhance the aesthetics of the built-form along the Glenelg foreshore, but contribute to the wellbeing and enjoyment of residents and the local community,” he said.

Residents will have access to a yoga and wellness area, gym and outdoor pool, and the building will also offer a digital health concierge, providing health, wellbeing, nutrition and sustainable living information and advice.

It will also become the first residential project in the state to be benchmarked against international WELL Building Institute standards, which ensure buildings are designed and built to maximise the health and lifestyle of their occupants.

The proposal follows the recent completion of Chasecrown’s award winning EI8HT South Esplanade project just 400m north of the Seawall Apartments site.

A custom-designed penthouse in that project sold for $4.9m, with the first residents moving into the building late last year.