The developer of a beachside site with a controversial past hopes to release residential land for sale later this year after the resolution of a protracted court dispute.
Beachside Yaroomba Land, a member of the Dennis Family Corporation group, plans to begin land sales at the former Sekisui House resort site in September.
BYL had taken the body corporates of the neighbouring Beachside gated communities to court to resolve a dispute over development rights that it claimed were delaying its development.
After 18 months and actions in the Supreme Court and the Planning and Environment Court, the parties resolved their differences at a mediation session presided over by a former judge.
The new Beachside Yaroomba Land gated community will now proceed under its own body corporate scheme, in accordance with the 2007 Hyatt Coolum masterplan, after the existing Coolum Beachside Body Corporate voted to part ways with Beachside Yaroomba Land Pty Ltd.
Earlier this month lawyers for BYL formally lodged a notice in the Planning and Environment Court discontinuing proceedings against the Bodies Corporate for Coolum Beachside, Belle Mare, Cala Luna and Whitehaven, and Sunshine Coast Council.
The matter in the Supreme Court had already been discontinued.
Alan Simmonds, chairman of the Body Corporate for Coolum Beachside, the principal body corporate for the Bodies Corporate of Belle Mare, Cala Luna and Whitehaven, said Beachside community members had held concerns about responsibilities and infrastructure sharing arrangements with its Yaroomba neighbour.
Mr Simmonds said issues had been resolved at mediation and the Beachside Yaroomba Land project would have its own layered body corporate scheme, separate from the body corporate scheme for Coolum Beachside and its communities.
“They’ll have their own community management scheme and we’ll have our own community management scheme and we’ll be great neighbours,” he said.
BYL director and chief executive officer Peter Levinge said BYL was looking forward to delivering the new community according to the original vision outlined in the 2007 Hyatt Coolum masterplan.
“We are pleased to have resolved these matters with the Coolum Beachside Body Corporate and are focused on delivering a high-quality residential community for the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Levinge said.
Beachside Yaroomba is now awaiting Sunshine Coast Council approval to release the first stage of its 18.5ha beachside project.
The Beachside Yaroomba Land site has had a long history.
Originally part of the Hyatt Regency Coolum site, it was sold by Lend Lease to Sekisui House, which wanted to build a five-star resort on the site.
The resort was approved by the council despite community opposition on the basis that the height and scale of the proposed resort was not in keeping with the town plan.
An appeal was lodged in the Planning and Environment Court, which upheld the council approval.
That was followed by a Supreme Court appeal, which resulted in the matter again coming before the Planning and Environment Court, which again upheld the council’s original decision.
Sekisui then decided not to proceed with the resort and sold the land the site to the Dennis Family Corporation group, which was prepared to develop it in line with a 2007 approval for a residential housing.
