Boutique Lantern Burleigh Project Secures DA For Mixed Use Development In Burleigh Heads

A boutique mixed use development proposed for a prominent peninsula site in Burleigh Heads has received development approval, paving the way for a six apartment project with a ground level food and beverage tenancy.

The project, known as Lantern Burleigh, is being delivered by Gold Coast based developer CS Collective in collaboration with architecture practice Plus Studio. The application was originally lodged in January 2025 and was refined through council assessment while retaining what the project team describes as its core architectural intent.

The approved scheme includes a single ground floor hospitality venue with six three bedroom apartments above. The upper two residences are configured as penthouses, each incorporating a private rooftop retreat with a pool, sauna, steam room, yoga lawn and barbeque area.

According to the project team, the development has been conceived as a sculptural addition to Burleigh Heads, responding to the suburb’s coastal village character while maintaining a strong street presence.

The building’s architectural language is defined by a restrained monochromatic palette, with materials including tinted glazing, profiled concrete, aluminium battens, stacked tile, warm toned paving and integrated landscaping elements.

Chrisney Formosa, Principal at Plus Studio, said the design explores the balance between civic expression and residential liveability.

“Lantern Burleigh is shaped by the tension between a strong public presence and a highly resolved residential experience,” Formosa said.

“Our intent was to create a building with clarity and restraint for its coastal village context, defined as much by small decisions of proportion, junctions, shade and texture as by the overall form, and grounded in liveability and deliverability.”

CS Collective director Luke Carter said the project had been driven by a placemaking ambition rather than maximising yield.

“For us, Lantern Burleigh is about contributing to the village,” Carter said.

“Burleigh’s appeal lies in its street life and sense of community, and we wanted the project to add to that experience in a meaningful way.”

Fellow director David Skeen said the approved scheme reflects a deliberate focus on boutique scale and long term quality.

“In this development we have purposefully focused on quality over quantity, creating a limited collection of expansive homes, underpinned by a level of amenity that’s rarely achieved in a boutique building,” Skeen said.

“Our aim is to create residences that feel enduring, generous, private and highly liveable, with a strong sense of connection to Burleigh’s coastal setting.”

The project continues a growing collaboration between CS Collective and Plus Studio, with the two groups confirming that additional Gold Coast developments are currently in early planning stages.

With development approval now secured, CS Collective is expected to launch a sales campaign in the coming weeks. Construction is scheduled to commence in the second quarter of 2026.

Lantern Burleigh adds to a broader trend of small scale, design focused mixed use developments emerging across Burleigh Heads, particularly on constrained sites where height and density controls encourage a more refined built form outcome.