The state government has joined a court appeal over Sunshine Coast Council’s rejection of a hinterland accommodation proposal, prompting the Opposition to refer the Planning Minister to the Crime and Corruption Commission.
The proposed facility on 862 and 894 Landsborough-Maleny Road at Bald Knob was for six two-storey buildings including 38 units, a manager’s residence and a reception area, along with car parks.
The development application was lodged in May 2023 by Presidential Capital Pty Ltd, as trustee for the Geoffrey Thomas Family Trust, and was subject to impact assessment, meaning it went through public consultation from December 11, 2023, until January 18, 2024.
The matter was then heard by the council on January 30 and after an officer’s report stated that it wasn’t a good fit for the area and recommended it be refused, six of 11 councillors agreed and it was subsequently rejected.
Presidential Capital Pty Ltd filed a notice of appeal with the Planning and Environment Court on March 5 arguing the development application complied with the relevant assessment benchmarks.
Among the reasons stated reasons for the appeal are that “the proposed development does not detract from the visual amenity of the scenic route” and “would provide economic benefits for the locality through the increased tourism activity”.
On May 29 a notice of election was filed with the court stating that the chief executive of the Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning (DSDIP) was seeking to join the appeal, despite missing the deadline by about two months, to protect state interests.
An outline of submissions submitted that same day by the DSDIP states the local Member for Glass House Andrew Powell communicated with Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie, who is the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, about the proposal.
“Among other things, (it) raised concerns about the current shortage of short-term accommodation in the area of the development application and requested the chief executive take an interest in the development application and support the appeal,” it says.
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The document indicates solicitors for Presidential Capital Pty Ltd had asked Mr Bleijie to exercise his ministerial call-in powers over the issue, but that there was insufficient time to do so.
A call-in notice could have seen the state government assess and decide on the application instead of the council, but a spokesman for Mr Bleijie said he chose not to exercise his powers.
The document continues: “The State Planning Policy identifies that planning needs to encourage growth in tourism sectors and the chief executive seeks to support economic opportunities for local, regional and state communities.”
The decision to grant leave for the DSDIP to join the appeal, despite its late entry, was allowed by the court on May 29.
On June 4, deputy Opposition leader Cameron Dick posted to social media saying Mr Bleijie ‘s actions didn’t “pass the pub test”.
“Just over a week ago, Queenslanders became aware that Jarrod Bleijie, the Deputy Premier and Planning Minister, was supporting a property development here on the Sunshine Coast that just happened to be proposed by an LNP donor,” he said.
“This is a very serious matter and it goes to the integrity of the Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie. That’s why today the state Opposition will be writing to the Crime and Corruption Commission calling on the CCC to investigate the conduct of Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie as Planning Minister.
“I don’t think Jarrod Bleijie ‘s actions pass the pub test in relation to proper, fair and good government decision-making in this state.”
A spokesman for the Deputy Premier hit back at Mr Dick’s claims.
“This is a desperate attempt from a desperate Labor Opposition to muckrake and use the CCC for their political games,” he said.
“The Queensland Government is not a decision-maker in this process. The matter is before an independent court as a routine planning application.”
Presidential Capital Pty Ltd and the DSDIP now have until June 13 to file their reasons for approval, with the proceeding listed for review on June 27.
