More than 100 people have already registered submissions on mining magnate Clive Palmer’s updated car museum proposal at his Sunshine Coast golf course resort.
The public consultation period on the application is set to end on December 19.
Sunshine Coast News reported in March this year that the billionaire’s original proposal to open a mega car exhibition at Palmer Coolum Resort at Yaroomba had been renewed, with updated designs and details.
Coeur De Lion Investments Pty, of which Mr Palmer is the director, submitted a revived development application on March 7 this year for a material change of use for an expansion of an integrated tourist facility (car museum) at the Warran Road resort.
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A revamped application was also submitted for a material change of use to establish a multi-level car park.
Within the eight pages of properly made submissions to date, viewable online, the overwhelming majority are against the updated proposal.
Many of those submissions are from residents of surrounding suburbs, including Yaroomba, Coolum and Mount Coolum.
Development Watch Inc orchestrated a Facebook campaign against the proposal after the public notification period of 15 business days began on November 28.
The group, which describes itself as “a community group concerned with inappropriate development in the Coolum district”, calls for submissions against “the world’s biggest car and bike museum … a giant box more than twice the length of a rugby field and equal to five or six storeys high”.
“The giant box of cars would be 22 metres tall – twice the allowable height under the approved Hyatt Master Plan, and three times the allowable height under the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme,” the post says.
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The Development Watch submission states:
- The approved Hyatt Master Plan limits building height at the proposed site to 12m. This proposal is to construct a building around 22m tall, which is vastly beyond what is allowed.
- There is no demonstrated need for this tourist facility to justify non-compliance with the master plan. The resort owner appears merely to want a place to house his very large collection of more than 1000 cars and motorbikes. It has been stated that the Sunshine Coast needs a five-star resort, not a car museum.
- The current tourism focus is a resort integrated with a residential community. This proposed new tourism focus of a car museum will only serve to detract from the existing tourism focus of a resort.
- Due to the height and excessive scale of this proposed building it is really a stand-alone tourist attraction that should be located with other similar large tourist attractions.
However, the town planning report submitted to the council by Adams and Sparkes on behalf of the applicant recommends approval because, in part:
- The proposed car museum represents an exciting new tourist attraction that will be unique for the Sunshine Coast and is estimated to host between 134,348 to 189,873 visitors per year.
- Although the proposed development is not identified as a ‘preferred use’ of the site under the master plan, it is for alterations and additions to the existing approved use of the overall site as an integrated tourist facility.
- The tourism zones within the Sunshine Coast are all taken up by existing major tourist attractions such as Australia Zoo, Aussie World and the Big Pineapple. There are no vacant or under-utilised parcels of tourism-zoned land. The tourism zone is the only zone where the proposed development would be a consistent land use. No other more appropriate sites have been identified for the proposed development.
- Volume 3 of the Maroochy Plan 2000 specifically provides for the further development of the site and identifies the ‘preferred and acceptable use’ of the whole site as an integrated tourist facility. The proposed development is consistent with the intent for the site under the Maroochy Plan 2000. The Palmer Coolum Resort is identified as a Tourism Focus Area under the current Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014. The proposed development is consistent with the intended role of the Palmer Coolum Resort Tourism Focus Area. The continued development of part of the Palmer Coolum Resort site for a new tourist attraction, unique to the Sunshine Coast, is consistent with the current overarching strategic planning direction for the site under the current Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014.
- Impacts are mitigated by proposing the development within a land extensive site, achieving large setbacks of 62m to 800m to external boundaries and proposing a building height that is consistent with existing vegetation on the site and surrounding the proposed development. The Visual Impact Assessment finds that the proposal has a form and appearance that mitigates visual impacts, has limited to very limited visibility to neighbouring areas, and will not have unacceptable impacts on visual character and amenity.
“The development is anticipated to capture strong attendance and will positively contribute to the Sunshine Coast economy,” the report states.
“Overall, the community’s interests would be well served by approval of the proposed development and therefore there is a planning, economic and community need in the public interest for the proposal.”
To see the full proposal, visit developmenti Sunshine Coast.
Sunshine Coast News attempted to seek further comment from Mr Palmer before publication deadline.
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