A development application has been lodged to expand the offerings at a popular wedding chapel site that has been operating for 16 years.
Located at Ilkley, the existing ceremony venue is an in-demand choice for couples looking for an idyllic location to tie the knot, but there are no facilities to hold reception parties.
The owners of the Prideaux Estate have lodged an application with Sunshine Coast Council to build a function facility that would cater to wedding receptions.
If approved, the facility at 264 Wilson Road would operate as a full-service wedding venue, including outdoor ceremonies and receptions.
Under the site’s current approval the Prideaux Estate can accommodate within its chapel up to two ceremonies per day, seven days a week, with up to 60 people in attendance at each ceremony.
According to a planning report submitted by Adams and Sparkes on behalf of the Prideaux Estate owners, the development would include two open-air marquees for outdoor receptions and a barn-style function building for indoor receptions.
The development would be built in two stages with the marquees as stage one built in Function Area A, and the barn to be built as part of stage two in Function Area B.
The new facilities would increase guest capacity to 100 people per wedding and allow for two weddings with evening receptions per week.
Up to five ceremony-only events would still be able to take place per week, as per the current approval for the site.
The number of weddings per day will be reduced from two to one, meaning the venue will only host up to 364 celebrations per year as opposed to up to 728 ceremonies.
“It is proposed to utilise the existing chapel and amenities block onsite for functions, with the only new building proposed being the function building,” the planning report stated.
“The marquees … are temporary and will be erected and dismantled at each function.”
No architectural plans have been submitted with the planning documents as the size, layout and deign of the building will depend on a build budget and industry trends.
“It is not possible to predict these elements at this time, noting that the stage-two function building may not be delivered for several years,” the report stated.
“Whilst a design has not yet been prepared for the future building, it is intended to be a high-ceiling, single-level ‘barn-style’ built form that will not exceed 300sqm in area.”
The material change of use application is impact accessible, meaning it will be subject to public notification at a later stage.
