A Sunshine Coast congregation hoping to build a new church on the water has been hit by the construction crisis and forced to alter its design.
The HistoryMakers Church was already approved for a new place of worship on Sportsmans Parade, Bokarina, fronting Lake Kawana.
But a fresh application lodged with Sunshine Coast Council shows the group wants to make some design tweaks because of the high cost of building.
They want to cut back the site cover from 1335sqm to 966sqm, but the pitched roof at its highest point would increase from 7.4m 10.58m.
The original development permit which Sunshine Coast Council approved in 2018 allowed a height of maximum 9m.
The planning scheme caps buildings in the area at three storeys.
The church’s planner Urban Catalyst 3 says in its application that the pitched nature of the roof means the church would still comply with the town plan because the building itself did not exceed three storeys.
HistoryMaker Church is headed by Pastor Benny Hun Yeow Tan and the land was purchased for $770,000 in 2009.
The church was established in 2004 and has been operating out of Kawana State Primary College, meeting every Sunday morning.
When the original development application received council approval in 2018, the church sought a currency period of six years, noting that it could take some time to build.
Four years later, construction is yet to start and the planner’s report blames the “significant rise in building costs” for the latest delay.
The report noted that the external appearance would still achieve “a high-quality design finish”.
Most of the rest of the concept for a large auditorium, foyer, reception, amenities, small meeting room, kitchen and offices remain the same.
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The foyer has been designed to be large and open, making the most of the waterfront views across Lake Kawana.
But “the design has been adjusted somewhat to respond to the significant price increase in building costs and better service the intended use of the site”, the application noted.
The church has promised to reduce the impact of noise such as amplified music which it said would most likely occur for short periods during the day and evening.
The noise-reduction measures include insulation, thick masonry, positioning the carpark to the east as a barrier and keeping sound levels relatively low.
The nearest residents are about 200m away to the west on the other side of the lake.
The church was contacted but did not wish to comment.
