First look exclusive: Polycell set sights on new Broadbeach apartment development
Two years after apartment developer Polycell spent nearly $45 million on the 1980s timeshare Voyager Resort in Broadbeach, they have unveiled their redevelopment plans.
Currently delivering The Rochester nearby and buying out owners in the apartment building Sandpiper, Polycell is making another development move.
They have submitted plans to build a 59-level tower at 167 Old Burleigh Road, a prime 2,076 sqm site at the corner of Elizabeth Avenue. The site is next to the under-construction Luxe Broadbeach and in front of the twin Oracle towers, which were completed in 2010.
The proposed development includes 130 apartments in two, three, and four-bedroom configurations, along with a ground-floor café and basement and podium parking for 317 vehicles.
BDA Architecture, who designed The Rochester for Polycell, has taken the architectural reigns for the new project, dubbed 167.OBR in the documentation submitted to the Gold Coast City Council last week.
BDA said the project presents an exciting opportunity to create a landmark residential tower within the vibrant, high-density Broadbeach precinct.
"[The] development is designed to respond to the existing built form character, landscape, climate and neighbourhood character to reinforce a strong sense of place and local identity," BDA noted.
"The proposed tower architecture embodies a contemporary, yet elegantly restrained, fluid vernacular. The structure is articulated with a glazed façade infused with coastal tactility, featuring fluid, soft edges that echo the gentle contours of the Gold Coast landscape."
The design preserves most of the existing Norfolk pine streetscape and natural organic edges.
"This approach not only respects the existing landscape but also strengthens the connection between the development and its context."
When referring to the podium, BDA said the architecture is a cohesion of contemporary sub-tropical vernacular infused with a coastal tactility.
"The fluid organic form portrays the organic nature of the Gold Coast landscape layered with a timeless material palette creating a rich and layered coastal effect."
Crowning the podium will be two swimming pools: one 25 metres long, flanked by daybeds, and the other a smaller pool adjacent to barbecues and alfresco dining areas.
A gym, yoga room, and Peloton room have been proposed for the podium rooftop, along with a hot and cold plunge pool, spa, steam room, sauna, treatment room, and a games room.
Additional amenities will be located on levels 38 and 39. Known as the 'Club Lounge,' the first level will feature a zen lounge with a tea bar and private terrace, several lounge and dining areas, and a meeting room. The upper level will include a library with an art wall, a cinema, a gym for personal training, a games room, more dining and lounge spaces, and two private club rooms, positioned either side of a wine storage room.
A maximum of three apartments per floor will be spread across the tower. The proposed layout includes 79 three-bedroom apartments, 32 two-bedroom apartments, 15 four-bedroom apartments, and four five-bedroom apartments, along with three sub-penthouses and a two-level penthouse featuring a cinema, gym with hot and cold plunge pools, and a private 14m lap pool.
Currently, the site is home to the Voyager Resort timeshare building, which was launched in the mid-1980s. A large portion of the 2,000 sqm site is occupied by a tennis court and swimming pool. Voyager Resort is made up of 62 one-bedroom apartments across a 16-level building.
Poylcell, an international company specialising in packaging primarily as well as property development and asset management, debuted in the Gold Coast off the plan apartment market in 2023 with The Rochester, 182 apartments on Surf Parade.
