A business park, including a possible hospital or day surgery, childcare centre, gym and church, has been proposed for a Sunshine Coast growth belt.
Stockland and Evolve Planning have sought approval from Economic Development Queensland for the 14-lot business park on 6.758ha of vacant land in the master-planned Aura development at Caloundra South.
The site has frontage to Aura Boulevard to the east and Graf Drive to the north, and is across those roads from McDonald’s, KFC, Oporto, a fuel station and car wash.
A planning report submitted with the application says the business park fits with the master plan for the Caloundra South development because it would provide “employment-generating uses supported by complementary services”.
The report says additional health care services are needed within Aura but there are few available locations.
“Aura has experienced a high demand for additional health care services, and more particularly allied health services,” it says.
“This includes professionals such as audiologists and 25 speech language pathologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and respiratory therapists, diagnostic medical personnel, imaging specialists, nutritionists and dietitians.
“There is currently limited opportunity for these uses to be located in Aura at the current time, with only the Baringa District Centre capable of accommodating these uses.”
The report says health service providers prefer to co-locate and suggests they be permitted on three lots within the business park.
“It is commonplace to now see a number of private hospitals, day surgery clinics and other facilities that provide medical or surgical care, be located in business parks,” it states.
The report says the precinct is intended to predominantly be a business park, and the proposal put forward would allow for about 30,000sqm of commercial or office gross floor area.
The park would be serviced by five internal access roads and would be centred around a “village heart”, which would include a childcare centre and gym to support workers.
The report says the design team, Stockland and commercial agents, visited sites in Brisbane and North Lakes to determine aspects suitable for the Aura business park, leading to the inclusion of the village heart.
“One aspect that was a clear attractor for both businesses and workers was the addition of a village heart, providing supporting uses for workers such as a childcare centre, food premises and recreational/fitness opportunities for workers through indoor sport and recreation facilities,” it says.
“The village heart now forms a central hub within the proposed development, providing an informal meeting area for workers and visitors, and reducing the needs for additional vehicle trips.”
The report says the western edge of the park would provide opportunity for boutique manufacturing and technology, and a transition between the park and more traditional industrial uses to the east.
The park would have three access points off Graf Drive, two of which would have traffic lights while the other would be left in, left out.
Want more free local news? Follow Sunshine Coast News on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, and sign up for our FREE daily news email.
