La Mer: Future of Main Beach tower by Polites Property Group and QNY Group revealed

The future of a controversial $100m beachfront tower has been revealed after a long-running, high-profile legal battle against the Gold Coast City Council.

A CONTROVERSIAL $100m beachfront tower has been given the green light after a long-running, high-profile legal battle against the Gold Coast City Council.

And residents protesting against the tower say it is a “setback” and fear council may become gun shy at taking on projects in court at a cost to the ratepayers.

Developers Polites Property Group and Anthony Quinn’s QNY Group have redesigned its La Mer tower in central Main Beach and will begin construction within six months

New artist impressions of the proposed La Mer tower in Main Beach. The tower in proposed by developers Polities Property Group and QNY Group

The move is a significant win for the development partners, who were knocked back by the council in December 2021, sparking an appeal to the Planning and Environment Court.

Main Beach residents protesting against what they consider inappropriate tower projects predict the court’s decision will open the door for a flood of high-rise development applications on tiny sites.

Main Beach Association leader Sue Donovan said she was shocked.

“That is terrible news. Every case going to the Planning and Environment Court, the developers are winning,” Mr Donovan said.

“We admire what the council has done, belatedly recognising the damage done by some more inappropriate developments including Monaco and Midwater.

“This is a terrible setback.”

Main Beach Association’s Sue Donovan

Council insiders estimate up to $500,000 of ratepayer money is being lost in an appeal in the Planning and Environment Court.

Many of the decisions to go to appeal are dividing councillors, divisional councillors wanting to support residents against the backdrop of local government elections in just more than 12 months time.

“Of course the community applauds some of council refusals but when the planning scheme and previous approvals make it clear that they should be approved then you are wasting time and money,” the council insider said.

Polites Property Group director Alex Polites said he was pleased with the outcome, which has seen the tower’s height reduced from 35 storeys to 25.

The number of units has been reduced from 30 to 22. Mr Polities said the revised tower was a “far superior offering”.

Developer Anthony Quinn of QNY Projects

“Our decision to appeal the council’s decision was a time consuming and tedious process with a host of challenges and negotiations including additional changes on our revised designs, however, we stayed patient and positive throughout the process in order to ensure the best possible outcome for our buyers,” he said.

“It would have been easier just to walk away and sell the site, but we took comfort knowing we were not the only developer facing such difficulties with an unprecedented amount of code assessable developments going through the appeal process at the time.

“Instead, we used the process as an opportunity to get a new team on-board with the appointment of renowned architect Plus, along with landscape architect Urbis to integrate the feedback we had previously received from the market into the new design.

The new design of the tower.

“The result is a far superior apartment offering in a far more boutique building, and importantly, approval from council allowing us to get construction underway in May.”

More than $65m in units within the tower were sold before the project was rejected by councillors last year. The developers and sales team are now holding talks with the existing buyers, with the remaining apartments set to be launched to the market in early 2023.

Polites filed the project with council in April 2021 and were so confident of its approval it was launched to the market in June and had pencilled in construction to begin in May, 2022.

Officers in their refusal for La Mer wrote: “The subject site is located within Main Beach, which represents a distinct local character of high-rise development in a generous landscape setting.

“The proposed development represents a dominant built form that will significantly impact on the reasonable expectations for tower development within the Main Beach locale.

“The proposed tower is not responsive to the lot size, site context, the surrounding context and setting of adjacent properties, and therefore represents an overdevelopment of the site.”

Officers said the project did not comply with the City Plan, failing to fit with the outcomes and purpose of the light rail overlay code. The code governs the size and scope of developments allowed within 800 metres of the tram route.

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