Old Burleigh Theatre poised for a renaissance

The Gold Coast community hashad a big win with the owner of the iconic landmark The Old Burleigh Theatrepoised to retain the historic façade in its multi-million re-development of thesite.

Sydney-based Weiya Holdings has today (July 2) lodged a development application with the Gold Coast Council that incorporates significant community feedback after the company purchased the site late last year.

“We have listened verycarefully to the community and we are very keen to incorporate that feedbackinto a re-development honouring the cultural significance of the Old BurleighTheatre,” said Wei Wang, who heads the Australian-owned development companywith a long history of residential development in NSW.

The re-development will includeretention of the highly distinguishable “bookend” or façade on the front of the building, and incorporationinto a majestic new 14-level residential and commercial precinct in the heartof one of Australia’s most sought-after beachfront precincts.

The re-development will see anarchitectural renaissance that will cement its iconic status on the BurleighHeads foreshore for generations to come while acknowledging the site’s significanceto the community.

If approved it will be the firstever adaptive re-use of a building with heritage elements on the Gold Coast.

Weiya Holdings enlisted theexpertise of one of Australia’s foremost heritage architects, Brisbane-basedConrad Gargett, to come up with a plan that met community expectations to recognisethe site’s significance.

“We were tasked with the roleof integrating key architectural elements of the Old Burleigh Theatre thatreinforce the cultural significance while at the same time creating atransformative project that will be a landmark not just for Burleigh Heads butfor the Gold Coast,” said Conrad Gargett director John Flynn.

“We are very proud of what wehave come up with and we look forward to working with the development team tobring this concept to a reality. We believe it is a very good communityoutcome.”

Fittingly, the concept planswill see the naming of the project as DE-LUXE – which pays tribute to theoriginal moniker of the 90-year-old Burleigh Theatre building - a popularcinema and dance hall that was the epicentre of the Burleigh social scene fromthe 1930s.

DE-LUXE Apartments willcomprise 14 levels, including a street-front retail arcade that pays homage tothe building’s existing two-storey volume with the infusion of modern cafe andretail tenancies.

The corner site has directfrontage to Gold Coast Highway and is located next to the proposed BurleighHeads light rail station. It will have a further three levels of basementcarparking, which will be accessed via the highway.

DE-LUXE Apartments will bring36 luxury apartments to the market, many of them offering expansive viewsacross Burleigh Beach and north to Surfers Paradise.

The design of the new podiumintegrates and responds to the retained front Goodwin Terrace ‘bookend’ of theformer 1955 theatre.

“This significant retainedbuilding provides a central entry to the new ground-floor retail andresidential apartment lobbies. A colonnade of brick piers on the podium’swestern façade further reference the original building,” said Mr Flynn.

The open ground-floor areas willallow the community to engage with a new public space that will be enhanced byinterpretative and historical devices offering reflections of the past to keepthe history of the site alive.

“These include images offeringsnapshots of our pioneering past, a motion picture screen detailing thetheatre’s history and models highlighting the many phases of the building’slife over almost a century of change.

“Work will also be undertakento enhance the existing façade including the reinstatement of the formertheatre sign,” said Mr Flynn.

The developers will seek publicinput to receive old historic images for the story board which will tell thestory of the arcade and the theatre over its 90-year history.

Andrew McLean, senior town plannerat Saunders Havill Group, said the concessions made by Weiya Holdings wereunprecedented.

“The developer has madeconsiderable concessions at great cost to meet community expectations and webelieve the final design truly recognises and pays tribute to the iconic natureof the building,” said Mr McLean.

“While deemed to be not of state significance, werecognise the Old Burleigh Arcade as an important piece of Gold Coast history,particularly for Burleigh locals, and we have made a commitment thatacknowledges those strong links.”

Weiya Holdings is aSydney-based company with extensive experience in land subdivisions andapartment projects in NSW and south-east Queensland.

DE-LUXE Apartments will be thecompany’s debut development on the Gold Coast.

Mr Wang concluded: “There is nodenying that the Old Burleigh Theatre has seen a lot of change throughout itshistory and we believe our development is the latest chapter in that story.”

“There-development of this unique site comes at an ideal time. With the Gold Coaststill witnessing the effects of COVID-19, DE-LUXE Apartments will be a vitalproject that will stimulate the local economy, creating jobs both now and intothe future.

“By ensuring that we retain keyarchitectural elements of the past within this development, and by shining alight on its colourful past, the Old Burleigh Theatre will always be a part ofBurleigh Heads and will be appreciated by generations to come.”