Way Cleared for Gallery Group’s Gold Coast Small-Lot Schemes

The big housing squeeze is on in earnest on the land-constrained Gold Coast with the green light given to plans for a beachside enclave of homes on lots as small as 74 square metres. Gallery Group has won approval for the scheme, which is primarily designed to overcome feasibility challenges to developing the Surfers Paradise site. But as well as providing an alternative to highrise development that enables faster delivery timeframes and lowers development risk, it also addresses the South-East Queensland Regional Plan’s projected need for almost 160,000 new homes across the city by 2046—including “gentle density” on infill sites. The approved scheme comprises 18 terraced five-storey homes, each with three bedrooms and five bathrooms. Under the plans, a community titles scheme will be created for the individual residential lots within three arch-filled rows of six attached homes, which the architectural documents prepared by Joseph May Design indicate will also feature rooftop terraces with a multipurpose indoor area and outdoor recreation space. The Queensland-based developer—led by Adam Barclay—lodged its revised proposal for the 2071sq m holding at 205-211 Surf Parade in late September. It was pushed through the City of Gold Coast’s planning process in less than two months. Zone Planning Group, which prepared the planning assessment report, deemed it was “at the forefront of excellent small lot outcomes, offering a real point of difference to Gold Coast housing typologies”. ▲ Renderings of Gallery Group's five-storey, small-lot development approved for Surf Parade, Surfers Paradise. “This one’s a bit different,” it posted on Linkedin after the proposal was given the nod from the council. “With no minimum lot size in the HDR [high density residential] zone, each a ... house in their own right, the development provides for an attached housing product on lots as small at 74 square metres, still with over 280 square metres of living space over 5 levels.” Gallery Group’s go-ahead for the revised plans is the latest of an array of approvals granted in a drawn-out saga to develop the prime beachside holding amid tumultuous market conditions. Its previous schemes included two residential towers, both of which it had upsized to 27 and 36 storeys, respectively, to “maintain financial feasibility … in the face of inflated construction costs”. Approval was originally granted for a single 36-storey tower in February, 2022 but within a few months it was back before the council, redesigned as a tandem tower development. The latest plans supersede a proposal for a six-storey “high-quality backpacker style accommodation”—dubbed the Noon GC hostel comprising 91 bedrooms with a total of 429 beds—given the green light in May. ▲ Rendering of the approved Surf Paradise development comprising 18 terraced homes. “It is evident that delivering a more intense development outcome on the site has presented several feasibility challenges,” Gallery Group’s application noted. “The proposed small lot subdivision supports a simplified built form outcome [that] is more efficient to deliver and reduces construction timeframes. “Additionally, the proposed subdivision model allows for the creation of standard format lots prior to construction being completed, thereby assisting with funding arrangements and reducing the overall risk profile of the development. “While not a highrise development, the proposal introduces additional housing choice within the locality, contributing positively to the residential character and meeting market demand for alternative, small-lot housing typologies.” Meanwhile, the developer also has been given the green light for another small-lot residential development at nearby Isle of Capri. ▲ A rendering of Gallery Group's approved La Palma development at Isle of Capri. To be known as La Palma, it will comprise 11 two-storey homes on lots ranging from 241sq m to 340sq m—each with four bedrooms, five bathrooms and two carparking spaces. It is earmarked for a 2888sq m site at 21 Via Roma, across the road from the popular Via Roma shopping and dining precinct. “The proposed development contributes to housing diversity within the immediate area by offering a more affordable option that responds to current market conditions,” a planning report said. “The site is located within an area that is currently transitioning from outdated and underdeveloped built forms to a more intense urban development outcome that is more reflective of the area’s attributes and zone.”

Way Cleared for Gallery Group’s Gold Coast Small-Lot Schemes

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