An appeal has been lodged against Sunshine Coast Council’s refusal of an application for a short-stay accommodation complex on a scenic route.
The Geoffrey Thomas Family Trust had applied to the council for a material change of use to allow development of 38 short-term accommodation units at 862-894 Landsborough-Maleny Road, Bald Knob.
A majority of councillors voted against the application on January 30 after a development assessment report recommended it be refused for various reasons, including the proposal’s failure to protect scenic views.
Presidential Capital, as trustee for the Geoffrey Thomas Family Trust, has made an application to the Planning and Environment Court requesting the decision be overturned and the development be approved.
In a notice of appeal, it says the proposed development meets the assessment benchmarks identified by the council and will protect the scenic amenity of the area.
The notice says the proposed development will continue to “preserve, protect, maintain and enhance the visual, landscape and scenic amenity values of the locality” so the scenic route “will continue to provide a high level of scenic and visual amenity”.
It says the proposed development does not detract from the visual amenity of the scenic route, is “visually unobtrusive relative to its setting” when viewed from the scenic route, and it maintains or enhances views from the scenic route.
Although the council, in its reasons for refusal, described the bulk and scale of the development as “urban in nature” and of an “intensity and scale that is not expected in a rural precinct”, the notice of appeal describes the proposed development as low key, both visually and in scale, so as to not detract from the scenic amenity offered from the scenic route.
The notice says the proposed development is located and designed to protect the landscape values and amenity of surrounding premises.
It says it will integrate with and complements the predominantly rural character of the area, and “sensitively responds” to the environmental and landscape.
“The proposed development will not impact on local views of importance and those views continue to be protected,” it says.
The notice says there is a need for the development, which will support nearby non-residential uses and provide economic benefit.
It says the development would not cause any more negative impact than lawful activities on the land that do not need a development approved.
The council is yet to respond.
