Public consultation has opened on a proposed expansion of a Buderim mansion.
Plans have been lodged with Sunshine Coast Council for a 641sqm extension to the existing house at 24 Box Street, Buderim.
Plans by Reddog Architects show the proposed extension would include four guest suites each with their own kitchenette and bathroom, a 15m by 5.5m pool, ice bath, wet and dry saunas and lounge.
The application, submitted to council on December 18 last year, also includes plans for a new 82sqm secondary dwelling that would be used as a cleaner’s accommodation.
Further supporting material provided to council on April 2 says the development responds to site conditions, vegetation screening and coastal design principles, and argues impacts on neighbouring properties would be minimal.
The home, known as Malumba Estate, is owned by Russian-born entrepreneurs and philanthropists Alex and Violetta Sekler, who paid a record $17 million for the home in August 2021.
In its recent submission on behalf of the Seklers, Human Habitats said the project supported continued residential use of the site.
“The proposed development supports the efficient use and renewal of existing land within the established Buderim urban area and supports the expansion of a residential dwelling amid a housing crisis,” the report states.
The proposed extension would be 10.4m high, triggering impact assessment because it exceeds the allowable 8.5m limit.
“The proposed development seeks approval for extensions to an ‘existing’ dwelling house that remains two storeys; however marginally exceeds the 8.5m height limitation,” it says.
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The report also states the development would not have unreasonable impacts on neighbouring properties.
“Due to the separation distances between neighbouring dwellings and the topographic context, the development does not result in overshadowing or loss of privacy to surrounding properties,” it says.
In 2022 Sunshine Coast News reported the Seklers had also purchased two adjoining properties that took their Box Street holdings to almost 7.2 hectares.
