A development application has been lodged with Sunshine Coast Council to complete a long-standing, partially-constructed dwelling in Coolum Beach, with the height to be taller than the 8.5-metre limit set under the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme.
The property, at 1 Mora Court, occupies 595 square metres on a corner block with dual road frontages to Mora Court and Centenary Heights Road.
It has remained unfinished for nearly 40 years, with construction beginning in 1984 when a concreter and draftsman planned a Tuscan-style home. Over the decades, the skeletal concrete structure, incomplete rooftop elements and lift overrun became a familiar sight for locals.
The existing structure currently exceeds the 8.5-metre maximum building height, largely due to the incomplete lift overrun and rooftop elements.
The current owners, Caroline Mizgala and Marlon Platt, have lodged a development application through planning consultants Mallee Group to complete the home. The proposal involves removing the unfinished lift overrun and reconfiguring rooftop elements, including a new lift overrun and rooftop terrace set lower than the current highest point. According to the planning report, the work will reduce the height and bulk of the tallest parts of the dwelling and improve its visual presentation from all street frontages.
“While the completed dwelling will continue to exceed the 8.5-metre limit, the exceedance reflects the completion of an existing development rather than any increase in scale or intensity,” the report states.
“The proposal improves articulation and proportionality while reducing visual impacts of the tallest elements.”
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The development application goes on to say that basement works include retention of the excavation and structural framework, with fit-out of garaging and ancillary spaces, ensuring all parking and service areas are contained and visually unobtrusive.
Ground and first floors are to be reconfigured to accommodate primary living areas, three bedrooms, and internal amenity spaces, along with balconies and terraces that respond to the slope and orientation. The existing pool shell, deemed structurally unsound, would be removed and replaced with a new pool and deck set 900mm lower.
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Before lodging the application, Mallee Group held pre-lodgement discussions with council. Officers met on July 23, 2025 to review a Concept Master Plan and confirmed that the proposal would be impact assessable due to height exceedances, meaning there would be public notification and an opportunity for community submissions.
Public notification for the development application closes on February 6.
