A landmark Sunshine Coast development has taken another step forward, with plans lodged for the first residential neighbourhood at the historic Wises Farm site.
The development application, submitted by Norfolk Estates Pty Ltd earlier this month, proposes creating the first residential precinct within the 38-hectare Wises Farm masterplanned community at 239 Wises Road, Buderim.
The subdivision would deliver 91 residential lots, along with a local park, drainage reserve and a new internal road network as the first stage of the broader 420-home development approved by Sunshine Coast Council in February.
In April, developer QM Properties confirmed the estate would retain the Wises Farm name as a tribute to the site’s agricultural history, with earthworks expected to begin this year, subject to approvals.
Planning documents show the first precinct would provide a mix of housing styles, including 35 rear-loaded terrace lots, 28 villa lots, 16 premium villa lots and 12 courtyard lots.
Lot sizes would range from 195 square metres to 671 square metres, with an average size of about 326 square metres across the subdivision. The smallest terrace lots would be around 195 square metres, while several larger lots exceeding 800 square metres are also shown throughout the precinct.
The application also proposes creating one local park lot, one drainage reserve lot and new roads to service the neighbourhood.
Landscape plans describe a community designed around its natural features, with a central recreation park acting as the focal point and connecting directly to environmental corridors and water-sensitive urban design features.
The proposal also includes extensive pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, featuring off-road shared pathways, neighbourhood footpaths, cycle tracks and links through laneways for connectivity across the estate and into future stages of development.
Landscape plans identify a formal estate entry, entry statements, drainage corridors, detention basins, informal green spaces, landscape buffers and a local recreation park, all intended to reinforce the development’s bushland character.
According to the landscape masterplan, the neighbourhood has been designed to “celebrate and enhance” the site’s natural setting, with green corridors becoming the defining feature rather than the backdrop.
“The open space network integrates seamlessly with surrounding streetscapes through soft landscape edges,” the report states.
It says the design aims to create “a place-led community that celebrates diversity and fosters connection”, while ensuring views of green space from almost every street and preserving the site’s Sunshine Coast character.
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The report confirms the land is still traversed by a high-voltage transmission easement, which will only be extinguished after the overhead lines are relocated
Environmental rehabilitation also forms a significant component of the proposal.
Planning documents outline rehabilitation works across about 11.2 hectares, including drainage reserves, vegetation covenant areas and buffer land. The works would focus on restoring native ecosystems, revegetating waterways, planting preferred koala food trees and improving habitat connectivity while protecting waterways and managing bushfire risk.
The broader Wises Farm site covers almost 38 hectares and is one of the last remaining greenfield residential sites in Buderim. It has historically been used for cattle grazing and small crops, with much of the land now consisting of open grassland, scattered trees and vegetation surrounding waterways through the centre of the property.
The original masterplanned community proposal, lodged in 2022, sought approval for up to 570 dwellings before being reduced during the assessment process.
