Pollycell: Plans for 52-storey supertower on Sandpiper building site in Broadbeach

A Taiwanese bubble-wrap kingpin has unveiled plans for a second supertower in the heart of Broadbeach. Get your first look at the plans for how it will transform the prominent site. PICTURES

A Taiwanese bubble-wrap kingpin has unveiled plans for a second supertower in the heart of Broadbeach.

Robert Hsu’s Pollycell company wants to build a 53-storey high-rise on the site of the existing Sandpiper building on Old Burleigh Road.

The Sandpiper will be demolished and its 1828 sqm site cleared to make way for the 185m-tall building, which will share the same name and feature 509 bedrooms spread across its 216 units.

Artist impression of The Sandpiper development proposed by Pollycell. Picture: Supplied

Most of its units will be two and three bedrooms, with the building to be capped with a pair of five-bedroom penthouses.

A spokeswoman for Pollycell earlier this year confirmed the units would be put to the market in early 2026 with construction not to begin until late 2027 at the earliest.

Mr Hsu bought the Sandpiper tower for $45m earlier this year.

The purchase was the culmination of a two-year process to buy up all the units after Mr Hsu in 2023 secured a controlling stake in the tower.

The deal was brokered by BuyGC Buyers Agents principal Gavin Henry.

The Sandpiper in Broadbeach.

The Sandpiper tower, on Old Burleigh Road, was built in 1980, with some of its original owners still among its residents.

Sandpiper was previously the target of a $71m redevelopment by Melbourne developer Trenert Group before it walked away in 2023 after a legal battle with developers Dean Giannarelli, Ross Pelligra, Paul Pelligra, Petros Dimitrious and companies associated with them, who had also bought up several units in the complex.

Artist impression of The Sandpiper development proposed by Pollycell. Picture: Supplied

The Bulletin reported in 2022 that Sandpiper Developments – a company linked with Trenert and its managing director Peter Priest – had settled purchases of at least 12 apartments in the tower and had contracts with owners of another 15.

However the settlements ultimately did not proceed after the company walked away from the project.

Artist impression of The Sandpiper development proposed by Pollycell. Picture: Supplied

Mr Hsu spent $15.5m to buy the units from Mr Priest in mid-2023.

The Sandpiper will become Pollycell’s third Broadbeach tower after The Rodchester, a 39-storey building which is expected to be completed in 2027.

It also recently secured approval for a 59-storey tower on the site of the Voyager timeshare resort.

No time frame has been given for the Voyager supertower.

The location of the Sandpiper.

The existing Voyager tower would be demolished to make for the new structure, which would become the suburb’s tallest building at 211m and have 130 units containing 381 bedrooms.

It would stand on a 2070sq m site directly between the Oracle towers and the beach views, and be the second tower to rise in the space alongside the under-construction Luxe.

Mr Hsu bought the site in 2022 for $45m in a deal brokered by Kollosche Commercial’s Adam and Tony Grbcic.

He beat out billionaires Harry Triguboff and Bob Ell, both of whom were interested in the site.

Originally published as Pollycell: Plans for 52-storey supertower on Sandpiper building site in Broadbeach