A long-planned golf driving range is moving closer to construction, while the company behind it prepares a scaled-back bid for later trading hours.
The approved golf precinct is set to be built on Palmview’s former Strawberry Fields site at 133 Laxton Road, after Sunshine Coast Council finalised the development approval in September last year.
A separate operational works approval covering car parking, landscaping, roadworks and stormwater was also finalised through a negotiated council decision in April this year.
The facility will occupy about 5.9ha of the roughly 19ha site and include up to 32 driving bays with ball-tracking technology, a short-game practice area, putting green and pro shop.
A spokesperson for developer All Things Golf Pty Ltd said the company was now preparing for construction after a council decision this month resolved an outstanding issue over electricity.
In August, the applicant withdrew a request for longer operating hours and asked council to deal only with the electricity issue so it could be finalised.
Council agreed to amend a condition that had required new reticulated electricity supply to be underground, instead requiring the supply to meet the service provider’s requirements.
This week, the spokesperson said the project could now move to the next stage, while the company would continue pushing for extended trading hours.
“Now that we have all our approvals, we are busily seeking tenders,” he said.
The range is currently approved to operate from 7am to 6pm daily. When council originally approved the development, it said those hours had been limited “to prevent significant adverse impacts”.
In April, All Things Golf lodged a minor-change application to extend the closing time to 10pm.
Council did not reject the proposal, but requested further information in June about potential noise and amenity impacts from the later hours.
Council questioned whether background noise levels used in the assessment would remain the same in the evening, saying they could be “much lower” at other times of year, including winter.
It also requested further assessment of evening traffic noise and potential impacts on Palmview Conservation Park.
All Things Golf now plans to return to council with a scaled-back proposal, including an 8pm closing time for Monday to Thursday, 9pm for Friday and Saturday and a 7pm close for Sunday.
“We are still preparing our formal change application and will include detailed information addressing matters raised by council through community feedback,” the spokesperson said.
“The updated change application is expected to be submitted to council shortly.”
The original development application lodged in 2024 attracted significant public interest, with 162 submissions received during public notification in March 2025. Of those, 149 were deemed properly made.
Concerns raised in opposing submissions included road capacity and safety, compatibility with the rural area and landscape and ecological impacts.
Supporting submissions cited a lack of similar-quality golf facilities on the Sunshine Coast, overcrowding and waiting lists at other facilities and accessibility for hinterland residents.
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Road safety concerns raised during public notification have also been addressed through approval conditions and the later operational works process.
Council found traffic generated by the development would remain “well within” the nominated limit for Laxton Road, but required sections of the sealed pavement between the property and the Bruce Highway to be widened from 4.8m-5.3m to a minimum 6m.
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In its statement of reasons for approving the development, council said the location, nature, scale and intensity of the facility were considered appropriate for the rural zone.
It noted the property had historically operated as a strawberry farm with tourism and hospitality elements, while conditions required landscape screening, road and carpark upgrades and other measures.
The approval also requires at least 40 sealed car parking spaces.
The former Strawberry Fields pick-your-own farm was sold in 2021 after being operated by Maurie and Von Carmichael for about 40 years.
