Billionaire Bob Ell has bold Gold Coast plans for 24 and 28-level highrises at Bundall

THREE years ago billionaire Bob Ell, always awake to an opportunity, bought a “paddock” across the road from the Gold Coast Turf Club.
It was to be a place where his four kids, at the time all under 10, could ride horses.

Bob said the near half-hectare holding would be fenced and he would put up a couple of stables.

“You also could say it’s a holding proposition for me, given what could happen in the surrounding area.”

Bob hasn’t got around to putting up the fence but the ­future is here and he has bold plans for the “stables”.

They’ll be replaced with buildings that will house people, not horses – 24 and 28-level highrises.

The buildings will sit above a five-level podium that will be home to a tavern and cafe.

The towers will have both serviced and permanent-resident apartments and their ­occupants will be able to sit in an infinity-edge pool six levels up and watch the races.

Bob’s mate, fellow billionaire Gerry Harvey, of Magic Millions and Harvey Norman fame, is right behind him.

Bob’s plan is by no means a winner – he has to gain approval from the city council and already is addressing “hurdles” raised by council officers.

The land is in the Bundall equestrian area plan and towers probably weren’t in the scheme of things when the plan was drawn up.

The lanky Ell “twins” are mooted for the western side of Racecourse Drive on a site that Bob bought, according to RP Data, for $825,000.

The land has a couple of interesting neighbours – there’s a Boral concrete plant on the southern side and the Benowa re-pump effluent station on the western boundary.

The Ell camp believes the podium the towers will sit on will act as both a noise and odour buffer for residents of the buildings.

Brave Bob’s equestrian precinct plans could have been much bigger had things gone his way a couple of years back.

A site on the opposite side of Racecourse Drive that fronts the racetrack came on the market and Bob made an offer for it.

It seems the Melbourne owners, when they found out the potential buyer was Billionaire Bob, upped the price and Bob walked away.

The site, which spans 1.22ha, remains unsold.

Meanwhile, if the Ell twin towers do leave the starting gates, they might not be the only serious development in the area.

The turf club is mulling over a high-end hotel, a move that would catapult its ranking among thoroughbred clubs.

Source: The Gold Coast Bulletin 31 October 2016

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