A move by a developer that would have reduced the capacity of a flood evacuation centre has had the opposite effect.
Stockland will have to provide an evacuation centre capable of providing temporary shelter for at least 350 people instead of 140 at Twin Waters West after a council decision at its November meeting.
The developer was required to provide a 700sqm flood evacuation centre as part of the preliminary approval granted for the 450-lot subdivision last December.
Under the conditions of approval, the evacuation centre was to cater for minimums of 140 people as a temporary shelter and 583 people as an immediate shelter, and have enough power, water and sewerage services for 583 people for five days.
In July, Stockland applied for minor changes to the approval, claiming the temporary and immediate shelter capacities had been confused and that sheltering 583 people – or one person per 1.2sqm – was “unrealistic”.
A council assessment of the minor changes application pointed out that Stockland’s flood emergency plan said it was “likely” evacuees would need shelter for three to five days and that the centre would provide shelter for 350 people during isolation.
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The council assessment said the immediate shelter requirement should be deleted but that the centre provide temporary shelter to at least 350 people.
It recommended the council retain the requirement for the centre to have enough services for 583 people for five days because a large number of people would likely stay at home but still want to access services at the centre during a flood.
The report also conceded some changes requested by Stockland relating to timeframes for a park and a seat but said conditions requiring an archaeologist monitor development works at Settlers Park and National Trust recommendations for heritage-listed trees should be retained.
It also recommended against a Stockland request that would have weakened lake water testing requirements.
Councillor Taylor Bunnag told the meeting he had been contacted by residents concerned about approval conditions being watered down and others who wanted the development approval granted by the previous council rescinded, but that was not possible.
Cr Bunnag said “those horses have bolted” and it was his job as divisional councillor to “get the best possible outcome now that this has been approved”.
Councillor Winston Johnston voted against the recommendations, saying he did not vote for anything floodplain-related.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli and Councillor Joe Natoli left the room during the discussion and vote after making declarable conflicts of interest in relation to people they knew who had made submissions or were linked with the development.
Stockland has taken the mixed bag of approvals on the chin.
A spokesperson said: “Stockland acknowledges Sunshine Coast Council’s recent decision on the minor technical changes requested for Twin Waters West.
“We welcome the approved changes which will provide a greater level of certainty to obligations conditioned within the preliminary approval, granted in December 2023.
“We will continue to work with Sunshine Coast Council and all relevant stakeholders to comply with the approval conditions and progress plans for the proposed development.”
