First look exclusive: Meriton continue Surfers Paradise domination with another apartment tower proposed

Harry Triguboff's love affair with Surfers Paradise is showing no sign of waivering.

His apartment development giant, Meriton, has filed plans for yet another soaring tower on the Surfers Paradisde beachfront, its fourth in as many years.

The new development, Meriton Shore, at 126 Esplanade Surfers Paradise, takes its name from the 52-year-old high-rise, The Shore, which currently sits on the vast 3,460 sqm site along with The Dolphins boutique apartment block and several high-street retail spaces.

Meriton Shore will have 519 one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments across a 73-level tower designed by Cottee Parker with landscaping by DBI.

The majority of the apartments will be located above a seven-level podium, which will be crowned by an indoor and outdoor amenity level. There will be an outdoor pool, with integrated spa and kids pool, as well barbecue facilties, a sauna, and an indoor pool. On the level below will be a gym and a lounge room.

At the foot of the tower will be five food and beverage tenancies, fronting Esplanade and Ocean Avenue.

The apartment mix is weighted towards two bedrooms (278) and three bedrooms (136). 86 one-beds are planned, and 19 four-bedroom apartments.

he Town Planning Report from UPS said the proposal will contribute highly desirable outcomes for the subject site and the Light Rail Urban Renewal Area and urban neighbourhood in which it is located, through the high-quality architectural design, bespoke integration of landscape design outcomes and the mix of land use activities to invigorate the public realm around the site.

"The proximity of the site to the high-frequency light rail network represents an opportunity to bring forward substantial investment and renewal of the site to deliver upon the intent for Surfers Paradise and the Light Rail Urban Renewal Area to transition toward the highly-connected, compact, mixed-use environment that is envisaged both by the Council and State Government," UPS noted in its submission.

"The proposed development seizes the opportunity to deliver a mixed-use environment promoting highly efficient use of the subject site, creating active frontages to The Esplanade, Ocean Avenue and Surfers Paradise Boulevard, through ground-level tenancies planned to accommodate food and drink outlets with outdoor dining spaces engaging with street life."

The 3,460 sqm site is less than 300 metres from the under construction Iconica, 260 metres from Ocean that was completed in 2022, and 700 metres from the recently launched Cypress Palms, set back from the beach on Cypress Avenue.

The four developments total well over 2,000 apartments.

On spending $67.5 million on the site, which took Meriton's spending on Surfers Paradise sits to more than $176 million in the past year, Triguboff said he is putting his Gold Coast wallet away for the time being and had no plans for more buys.

Triguboff said the latest purchase was not just a sign of confidence in Surfers Paradise, but also a reflection on how much easier it was to do business on the Gold Coast than in Sydney.

“In Sydney you talk to the city’s town planners and get a ‘take it or leave’ attitude," Triguboff said.

“That’s not the case on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane, where the planners and councils are fair and, if a rule clearly is wrong, they’ll change it.

“In other words, life’s a lot easier for me in Queensland.”