Sherpa Group’s Christie Leet unveils fresh Palm Beach tower plans to replace controversial project

The developer who controversially offered $5000 to nearby residents to stop objecting to his controversial Palm Beach tower is trying again. SEE THE PLANS

The developer who controversially offered $5000 to nearby residents to stop objecting to his controversial Palm Beach tower is trying again.

Sherpa Group has lodged a fresh development application to build a nine-storey Perspective Nexus in Palm Beach overlooking Currumbin Creek.

It will replaced shelved plans to build a 14-storey tower on the Gold Coast Highway site which came under fire from locals more than 18 months ago.

The project had been approved by the Gold Coast City Council but the decision was overturned on appeal in the Planning and Environment Court in August.

approval for the original development application was overturned by an appeal in August.

Artist impression of the Nexus development which is planned by Sherpa Property Group for a site in Palm Beach. Picture: Supplied.

Sherpa boss Christie Leet said he looked at the rejection as an “opportunity and insisted he had listened to the community and the new proposal would address concerns.

“After taking on-board community feedback from the original design, we are now submitting an entirely new proposal that has been scaled back to nine levels to ensure it is a code assessable development,” he said.

“We are deeply committed to delivering a landmark residential project that provides the best beachside living at Palm Beach and we are looking forward to progressing the project once approvals have been granted.”

Mr Leet said people who had previously signed up to buy into the previous version of Nexus would have the first chance to get one of the 32 units in the project, which will overlook the Palm Beach Parklands.

The tower will be Sherpa’s 12th on the Gold Coast and will have 32 units.

Christie Leet, CEO of Sherpa Property Group. Photo: supplied

The previous version had 34 units and had been approved by the council in March 2022.

However, the body corporate of neighbouring Currumbin Sands Holiday Apartments lodged an appeal, arguing the tower was too high and would damage the visual amenity of the area.

Mr Leet, in a letter to the body corporate, said some of the buyers in the project had offered to help fund his court battle and that he was confident of a win. It said, if residents voted against continuing the court action, he would consider making “a financial contribution towards your body corporate”, saying his company’s architects were “working on a design on how this may look for you”.

Mr Leet added that such an arrangement would be “more worthwhile than me funding this appeal”.

“I recommend you vote ‘no’ to continuing with the cost of an appeal at your Extraordinary General Meeting and I contribute to your body corporate,” the letter said.

The Sherpa Property website separately offered residents $5000 cash if they agreed to vote against the continuation of the appeal, as long as the appeal did not go ahead and the development was allowed to continue.

“Say NO to throwing money at legal costs and pocket $5000 cash for yourself instead,” the since-deleted web page said, along with an agreement for owners to sign.