Palm Cove real estate: Five-storey Maya apartment tower revealed

The developer behind Palm Cove’s new prime waterfront apartments is about to bring another luxurious development to the flashest address in town. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

THE developer behind Palm Cove’s new prime waterfront apartments is about to bring another luxurious development to the flashest address in town.

Bob Simkin has a long history of delivering top-end residential developments to Palm Cove – not least the six-penthouse cliffside project Munbilla he calls home at the top of Colonel Cummings Dr.

His eye is now set on 17 Veivers Rd, current home of The Spa which will be shifting to a new location.

Long-time collaborator, Circa 2000 architect David Quigley, has designed a premium apartment tower just a stone’s throw from the beach.

Developers have unveiled plans to build a new five-storey luxury apartment tower on Veivers Rd, Palm Cove. Picture: Supplied

If the Maya project gets approved, it will be the oceanside suburb’s first true five-storey tower.

“We think it fits quite well into the topography, and we’ve done a lot of studies around it to get the right mix including external colours that allow the building to blend into the background,” Mr Simkin said.

Palm Cove and the rest of the northern beaches have long resisted anything more than four storeys – the old “no higher than the coconut palms” rule of thumb that is often attributed to former Mulgrave Shire mayor Tom Pyne.

However, there are winds of change.

A line of luxury seven-storey apartment towers were approved in Trinity Beach in 2020, and St John’s Community Care last year got the green light to build two five-storey retirement towers in Clifton Beach.

St John's Community Care has received approval to build a five-storey retirement facility with 32 two-bedroom units at 89-91 Arlington Esplanade, Clifton Beach. Pictured is an artist's impression of the facility, which would adjoin an existing four-storey building. Picture: Supplied.

A development application for an eight-storey resort project at Cedar Rd in Palm Cove is also still pending.

The Maya complex will feature 10 three-bedroom apartments with large entertaining areas, spread across five floors.

The two ground-floor units will have their own small swimming pools, and a larger common pool will be on the rooftop terrace.

“They’re going to be quality and large up-market residences, all with three bedrooms with good entertaining areas with basement parking for two cars per residence and basement storage facilities,” Mr Simkin said.

Mr Simkin and Mr Quigley are also the developers behind the nearby Shara six-unit apartment tower on Williams Esplanade.

It features only six apartments – two per floor, all facing the Coral Sea.

An artist’s impression of the luxury Shara development at Palm Cove.

“We will be finished our Shara project on the Esplanade in the next week or 10 days, and we are planning to start construction work on Maya some time in early-2023,” Mr Simkin said.

“We aim to create standout projects in Palm Cove that are good quality.

“We’ve been trying to raise the bar of the quality of construction and amenity in the area.

“We want to build a name and reputation for quality work.”

The project is yet to come before Cairns Regional Council for a decision.

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Originally published as Palm Cove real estate: Five-storey Maya apartment tower revealed