The developer of a rejected mixed-use site on a “key corner” has proposed a raft of changes in a bid to have the decision overturned.
AJG Property Developments lodged an appeal with the Planning and Environment Court in October 2024 following a Noosa Council decision to refuse the project due to its scale not being “compatible” with surrounding area.
The original plans sought to build a multi-storey complex with a food and drink outlet, office and six small units on the corner of Noosa Drive and Bottlebrush Avenue in Noosa Heads.
Documentation recently lodged through the courts revealed a list of 23 proposed changes to the site.
Among the changes listed are to remove the office use so there are two food and drink spaces, reconfigure some internal floor plans and include a residential gym.
Changes have also been proposed to setbacks, landscaping and on-site car parking provisions.
Town planner Christopher Buckley, who is listed in the documentation to have provided an affidavit on behalf of the client, outlined that the proposed changes addressed the scale of the development.
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“First, the changes are, by and large, a reduction in the overall bulk and scale of the built form for the development. In that sense, the changes are clearly ameliorative,” Mr Buckley said via the affidavit.
“Second, the design changes do not comprise the essential character of the proposed development but serve to enhance, in my view, the Noosa style design provisions and will, if approved, make a positive contribution to the character within the locality.”
Urban designer and landscape architect Nicholas McGowan described the proposed changes as “modest” via an affidavit.
“The proposed changes represent an improvement in the visual expression of the proposed development to the public domain,” he said.
“(The changes provide) a more refined material palette around the pedestrian entries, thereby utilising a range of high quality, raw materials and natural tones that is reflective of the local Noosa character.”
He said changes to landscaping “achieves an outcome which, in my view, improves the appearance of the proposed development and makes it a more attractive building”.
The appeal is listed for review on August 4.
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.
