Development application for Blade Runner inspired 47-storey Main Beach tower
A TRIO of dated fibro shacks are set to be replaced by Main Beach’s largest high-rise straight out of classic science fiction.
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A TRIO of dated fibro shacks are set to be replaced by Main Beach’s largest high-rise, looking like something from a classic science fiction film.
Inspired by the 1982 Ridley Scott film Blade Runner, cashed-up Sydney developer Winten Property Group is planning a $100-million silver, 47-storey hotel and residential project in the heart of Main Beach on a site nestled between Woodroffe and Peak avenues.
The mixed-use project will have four levels of basement parking, a six-level hotel, 10 floors of serviced apartments and 30 storeys of residential offerings for a total of 250 units.
The design has hanging gardens on the edges of terraces above a podium which would contain some shops.
The developer has pitched it to the Gold Coast City Council as a “unique landmark project” which would revitalise tourism in Main Beach and “bring a new contemporary luxury living experience”.
Winten Queensland manager Carl Rameau said the project would be a “magnificent place”.
“We have been searching around the Coast for a site to do something special,” he said.
“In Main Beach, good height limits and density was attractive to us and we think this is a project that fits a niche on the Gold Coast, with a mixture of new hotel and residential accommodation.
“It would be a magnificent place for everyone to come and Main Beach has a nice style about it, with the beaches and theme parks so close.”
According to documents filed with the council, the project was inspired by the work of famed early 20th century architect Hugh Ferriss and had parallels to the film Blade Runner to represent “a notion of a utopian city of the future”.
Designs for the project, by Melbourne firm Elenberg Fraser, emphasises the development’s strong sci-fi connections with the art of the late Ferriss and images from Blade Runner, the 1982 classic set in the year 2019.
The application was filed with the council on Wednesday.
City planning boss Cameron Caldwell said the project could help revitalise the area which has struggled in recent years with the closure of retail outlets in Tedder Ave.
“This is an exciting prospect for Main Beach, with the opportunity of this quality of development,” he said.
“This is an outstanding, architecturally designed building which provides potential for renewing residential and tourist activity in Main Beach.
“Tedder Ave shopping precinct would benefit from additional residential and tourist capacity.”
Its design intent was to capture the “metropolis of tomorrow” and a “futuristic city”.
According to the documents, the project would include an outdoor pool, bar and karaoke rooms, with an outdoor cinema and lounge for residents.
But not everyone is excited, with the Main Beach Association planning to put the development under close scrutiny.
Group president David Hutley said he was taking a wait-and-see approach.
“We will be looking closely at this to make sure it fits with the character of the area,” he said
“This is the first I’ve heard of this and it depends on the design and how it fits on the site.
“Tedder Ave does not have the pedestrian traffic we would like to see in it, so if this increases the number of people visiting it could actually be a good thing.”
The unnamed development is the latest of several major projects planned for the Main Beach and northern Surfers Paradise area, including Sunland’s controversial $600 million, 44-storey twin tower The Mariner and the $2 billion, six-tower Ruby and Sapphire projects from Ralan Group.
The project will go before the council later this year following public comment.
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