A redevelopment at a hinterland caravan park could provide a new accommodation option for over-50s in the area.
The owners of the Lilyponds Holiday Park at Warruga Street, Mapleton, plan to replace 45 caravan sites with 36 relocatable homes and four short-term accommodation cabins.
A planning report accompanying a material change of use application to the Sunshine Coast Council says the revamped park would provide an affordable accommodation option for over-50s in the area.
“The rejuvenation of the park has been designed to accommodate over-50s. Based on available data, the median age group in Mapleton is 59 years, with the current median house price in Mapleton being $1.05m,” it states.
“The Lilyponds Home Park will result in housing options in the order of 50 per cent of the current median house price in Mapleton.
“This lower price point will assist in both providing lower income households to buy in Mapleton who might ordinarily have been priced out of the locality; and allows higher income households to retain some of their equity/savings to spend on their retirement, thereby benefitting the Mapleton economy and the wider economy also.”
The report says nine of 12 relocatable homes already erected in an earlier stage have been sold.
“The purchasers of all relocatable homes are over 55 years and are owner-occupiers; 78 per cent of all the sales have been downsizers from other properties, freeing up housing in the wider market and thereby assisting with the general housing deficit,” it says.
The report says improvement of the park is necessary due to “the state of historic infrastructure” and many “non-compliant” buildings and structures.
“The proposed works result in a minor reduction to the number of sites, with the intent to provide an improvement to the liveability for residents, through providing a more considered layout, modern structures, increased landscapes and compliant infrastructure,” it says.
It says the four cabins, as well as units on the northern part of the site which have approval for tourist accommodation and a relocatable home park, would continue to provide some short-term accommodation.
“Overall, the development will maintain the intent of the park, whilst providing much-needed improvements to infrastructure and buildings to ensure that it meets current safety and amenity standards,” it says.
Entry to the site would continue to be from Warruga Street. There would be single and double garage options for the relocatable homes and a total of 15 parking spaces for the cabins.
A three-metre wide landscaped buffer along the southern and western boundaries would provide separation between the park and neighbours.
The relocatable homes and cabins would be fed by spring water, filtered and UV-treated, like the rest of the park. It is proposed that a sewage treatment plant and bio-retention basis will deal with black and grey water.
The material change of use application is currently undergoing council assessment.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
