Tallest Surfers Paradise proposed highrise tower site listed

The site once mooted for a 103-floor Surfers Paradise apartment tower has been listed for sale. It has been offered through First National Surfers Paradise. The tower would have been the tallest in the southern hemisphere at 328 metres with 1127 apartments. The twin-tower venture called Orion Towers was approved five years ago for the Chinese-owned Orion International Group. Tower One (76 storeys) and Tower Two (103 storeys) was also set to include Australia's highest destination restaurant: Restaurant 101. Orion’s $1.2 billion plans were set to overtake the Q1 as the tallest in the southern hemisphere. There was a 680sq m penthouse planned for level 100. The project was planned to come to market in 2018 with the towers anticipated to be built in stages over a 10 year plus timeframe. CRA Group undertook a national design competition to select the successful project architect, Woods Bagot. The 5278 sqm site fronts the Gold Coast Hwy and Markwell Ave, known as the Thrifty property. It last traded at $25 million in 2016, with one of the purchases being $15.4 million for the Red Lion Motel site. Orion filed an application with the Gold Coaost council for a four-year extension on the project, so it has until 2025 to start construction.