DVB Projects: Planned Broadbeach tower on verge of being approved

The fate of a controversial Gold Coast tower overlooking the ocean will be decided after a long and costly legal battle over its future. SEE THE PLANS

THE brothers Brown, out to make their mark in the top end of the Gold Coast high-rise scene, appear on the verge of a win after a lengthy struggle.

A Planning and Environment Court judge seems set to side with them in a fight against the Gold Coast City Council.

It’s been an expensive endurance contest – DVB Projects, owned by Dean Brown and with brother Joel as head of development, lodged an appeal 16 months ago over a knock-back to tower plans.

The city’s high-rise industry, with other projects stalled by planning refusals, will be watching the final DVB outcome with intense interest – and maybe more than a little hope.

Artist impression of the DVB tower planned for Broadbeach.

The Sydney-based company set out to deliver a 26-floor tower with 35 apartments overlooking the ocean at the northern end of Broadbeach.

No, you can’t, said the city council in June 2021, which prompted DVB quickly to lodge an appeal.

Since then other developers have chosen to take the appeal route over their halted ventures.

In DVB’s case, the judge has concluded that the company’s appeal will be allowed and indicated that the outcome will be “formalised” on December 2.

The Brown boys spent close to $14m in 2020 assembling a 1186 sqm site overlooking Broadbeach Blvd and the ocean at the head of First Ave.

Dean Brown of DVB

Joel Brown of DVB

It consisted of a site zoned high-rise residential on which veteran Brisbane developer Kevin Seymour had planned a boutique luxury building and land which held the five-floor Brighton building, backing on to Old Burleigh Rd.

DVB asserted that it intended to deliver “something pretty spectacular” to the Coast market.

Its venture would include a record-beating 1450 sqm penthouse.

The council refusal to DVB was based, in part, on the effects, including shadowing, that the planned tower would have on six-floor block Bedarra on its southern boundary in Old Burleigh Rd.

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Artist impression of the DVB tower planned for Broadbeach.

Judge Kefford, who visited the tower site during the hearing, says there already are sizeable shadows caused by other buildings and vegetation such as Norfolk Pines.

However the judge added that shadowing will continue regardless of what happens on the DVB site.

Gold Coast towers still the subject to appeal outcomes include projects at Burleigh Heads, Main Beach, and Runaway Bay.

The standout among them is La Mer at Main Beach, where partners the QNY Group and Polites Projects were so confident of winning planning approval that they launched early.

Artist impression of the DVB tower planned for Broadbeach.

They chalked up $65m of sales in the $100m 29-floor tower but were rebuffed in December by the council and said they would appeal.

It came on the heels of the Allure Property Corp heading to appeal after its 17-floor Burleigh Heads oceanfront tower, also 65 per cent sold, was knocked back.

At Runaway Bay in April, a partnership involving the Polites group, Jonathan Grasso and Jay McPhee took the appeal route after getting a “no” to plans for a tower.

The next month the Spyre Group, which had bought the Lark cafe site at Main Beach for $4.85m, fired off an appeal over a refusal to allow an 18-floor building.

The appeals mean huge legal bills for developers and council. In the case of developers, there are other downsides by way of holding costs and being caught in a weaker market.