A developer has withdrawn an application to put units on top of an already approved shopping centre after a disagreement with the Sunshine Coast Council over the maximum height limit.
The proposal by Marina Village Holdings 2 Pty Ltd to add twin five-storey unit towers above the already-approved Marina Village shopping and commercial centre at The Basin, Pelican Waters, highlighted a discrepancy in planning documents over height limits for the site.
Quay Residences, comprising 40 three-bedroom units, would make the complex six storeys high but the council maintains that the site should only be three.
A town planning report submitted with the application for the units said a map in the Pelican Waters Southern Lakes management plan showed the site with a three-storey limit unless otherwise noted. The map also refers to another diagram showing a maximum height of six storeys.
“Therefore, height is otherwise noted in the plan as maximum six storeys,” the report said.
The site is subject to a variation in the Sunshine Coast Council Planning Scheme 2014 and is instead subject to assessment under the Pelican Waters Southern Lakes Plan.
The council responded to the application saying “the proposal exceeds the height limit as prescribed within the Southern Lakes Preliminary Approval, pursuant to the Caloundra City Plan 2004”.
“Accordingly, impact assessment applies to the whole development,” it said.
Grant Kennedy, a director of Marina Village Holdings 2, was perplexed by the council’s position.
He pointed to the town planning report included with the application, noting that there was a six-storey development, The Cove, adjacent and that the Rockpool aged care development was also six storeys.
Mr Kennedy said making the development impact assessable rather than code assessable made the application process more costly and complicated, with no guarantee of approval.
“Impact assessment involves a significantly higher fee, longer assessment time and seeks public submissions which in turn allow third-party appeal rights and thus potentially having to go to the Planning and Environment Court,” he said.
Mr Kennedy said the council’s position on the height limit was also puzzling given the current housing shortage and questioned its commitment to infill development.
“Everyone talks about the need to have infill development as opposed to sprawling out on land for greenfield developments,” he said.
“This is what happens when you try and get approval for infill development.”
He pointed out that the density in the area had already been reduced from 2200 to 1325 dwellings by the council’s 2022 approval of the final stage of Pelican Waters, with housing lots in what would have been medium-density areas.
The Quays site had been perfect for units, close to the water and amenities, minimising the need for people to drive and to place more impact on transport infrastructure, he said.
As for the future of the site, Mr Kennedy said “we’re considering our options”.
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