The outcome of an application to turn 104 hectares of land between the Maroochy River and Sunshine Motorway into about 450 houses is set to be decided on Thursday.
Developer Stockland’s proposal for Twin Waters West has been recommended for approval, subject to conditions, by Sunshine Coast Council officers, with the matter to be discussed at this week’s ordinary meeting.
The agenda for Thursday’s meeting outlines that a detailed assessment of the application has been made against the relevant sections and codes of the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme.
“The proposal is recommended for approval subject to reasonable and relevant conditions,” it states.
Want more free local news? Follow Sunshine Coast News on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
Public notification about the proposal ran for 30 business days between August 12 and September 29, with a total of 399 submissions received.
“There were 255 submissions in support of the proposal, 130 submissions against the proposal and 14 were unsure or neutral,” the agenda states.
The application was also recommended for approval with conditions by the Department of State Development, Infrastructure, Local Government and Planning in October.
Its conditions include constructing a four-leg signalised intersection with David Low Way and Ocean Drive at the entry point to the development, and upgrades to the intersection of the Sunshine Motorway with David Low Way.
The recommended approval has been met with criticism from Twin Waters West and Surrounds Inc, which prepared an 85-page submission responding to the application.
President Kathryn Hyman said “concerns raised in our submission remain largely unaddressed” and the community association was “experiencing déjà vu as we are seeing the very same issues previously raised and relied on in the courts’ dismissal of the previous appeal”.
“The applicant is yet to discharge its onus in demonstrating their design is not hypothetical,” she said.
“We should expect better from such a highly resourced and influential developer, especially given this is their third attempt to propose a development for the site – this is a testament to the numerous constraints of the site and the lack of engineering solutions under the current design.”
Related story: ‘Devil is in the detail’: stakeholders respond to development plan
A Stockland spokesperson said the development application reflected the requirements of the planning scheme as well as the Planning and Environment Court’s decision handed down last year.
“The new development application encompasses the court’s outcomes, and the proposal is consistent with the character and amenity of the adjoining Twin Waters community,” they said.
“The new masterplan incorporates the input of many stakeholders and aligns with the Sunshine Coast Council Planning Scheme. We have received strong community support, which has been identified through the application process including the public notification phase.
“The proposal seeks to protect the central wetland, including establishing a 50-metre buffer on site; construct a 13-hectare lake; and establish an average lot size of 700sqm, reflecting the features and characteristics of the local area.”
Among the conditions recommended by council officers are that the proposed development must not exceed 450 residential lots and have a minimum size of 500sqm, with an average minimum size of 700sqm.
“No duplexes or medium-density residential uses are proposed. The existing height limit for the site of 8.5m is not proposed to be varied,” the agenda states.
The developer must have a water-quality monitoring program for the constructed water body, a kangaroo management plan and groundwater recharge strategy, and install flood depth markers at certain locations.
“The surface levels of all residential and community facilities lots, excluding drainage reserves, must be constructed to provide flood immunity,” the report says.
The development must also include a flood evacuation centre to cater for a minimum of 140 people as a temporary shelter, or 583 people as an immediate shelter.
If the site is developed, council would also receive about $7.8m in infrastructure charges for the residential component of the development.
It would also receive a sinking fund contribution of more than $3.8m from the applicant to cover the cost of maintaining the proposed lake for 80 years.
Related story: Water worries: concerns raised over development proposal
Twin Waters West has been a contentious issue since an initial proposal to develop the site in 2008.
The project has been rejected twice by Sunshine Coast Council and has faced stiff community opposition.
The first proposal was first knocked back in 2009. That rejection was appealed in court, resulting in a legal fight Stockland lost in 2013.
The developer lodged a second development application with the council in December 2018 but that was knocked back in July 2020.
Stockland then lodged an appeal that triggered a four-week hearing in the Planning and Environment Court, with the developer’s appeal being dismissed last August.
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
