On the QT: Young gun developer Ayrton Mansi back in spotlight, plans for 38 floor Surfers tower

Babyfaced developer Ayrton Mansi is back in the spotlight and the now 27-year-old’s towering ambitions have both resurfaced and grown.

SEVEN years ago Ayrton Mansi, while completing a degree at Bond University, set out on an adventure that could have made him the youngest high-rise developer in Australia.

He won approval for a 39-level Broadbeach project which did not get off the ground but the then 20-year-old still was a financial winner.

Move ahead to 2022 and the now 27-year-old’s towering ambitions have both resurfaced and grown.

Ayrton Mansi in 2015. Picture Glenn Hampson

This time around he’s proposing a 38-floor building with single-floor apartments, choosing southern Surfers Paradise as a location.

The plan comes on the back of Ayrton cutting his teeth on several property projects over the past six years.

They include putting together a Broadbeach Waters site, gaining approval for a childcare centre, and moving the project on to another party.

Ayrton, who was named after racing driver the late Ayrton Senna, could well be called a fast-starter in the property game.

At the time of his bold 2015 foray he was completing a bachelor of property development degree.

He came out of left field to tie up, via options, a block of flats and a house at 12-14 Philip Ave, Broadbeach.

The son of an Italian-born restaurateur went on to get a city council green light for a tower called Opal, with 131 apartments.

Artist impression of Nineteen First Avenue tower planned for Surfers Paradise. Picture: Supplied

On the heels of that approval, Melbourne rich-lister Paul Little and the property group he then owned, Little Projects, came knocking.

Ayrton’s options were picked up and the student walked away ‘in the money’.

Little Projects added to the Philip Ave site and today the group’s in the throes of completing a tower called Signature.

The latest Mansi ambitions are via Ayrton’s boutique Amansi Group and centre around an 810sqm site on the corner of First Ave and Surf Pde.

The company that applied for approval to build the tower included Freddie Sheene, son of motorcycle legend the late Barry Sheene, but he reportedly has no involvement in the actual development.

Artist impression of Nineteen First Avenue tower planned for Surfers Paradise. Picture: Supplied

The purchase of the tower site apparently is unconditional and not dependent on the Mansi tower being approved.

The land is 150 metres from the beach and the planned tower appears to be aimed at those who want full-floor living, with all the residential trimmings but without beachfront prices.

One-time gym junkie Ayrton, tapping into home-grown architectural practice Plush and a bevy of consultants, wants to develop of tower called Nineteen on First Avenue.

The aim is to provide 35 large full-floor apartments to buyers who can’t afford $5 million or $6 million for a spot in a beachfront tower.

Nineteen’s apparently intended to deliver some apartments at half of beachfront rates and to include work-from-home suites.

Back in 2015, when Ayrton was proposing his debut tower, he hadn’t ruled out taking in a partner.

The proposed site. Picture: Supplied

There’s no indication yet of that happening with ‘Nineteen’ which, if it goes ahead, will be a $120 million venture.

Meanwhile, the fate of plans for a top-shelf tower overlooking the ocean at the eastern end of First Ave is yet to be decided.

Sydney’s DVB Projects group had the 23-floor tower knocked back by the city council last year.

An appeal to the Planning and Environment Court has been heard but the outcome could be weeks away.