The proponent of a plan to turn a disused bowls club next to an established tavern into a mixed-use development with residential units, short-term accommodation and commercial spaces has revised the design to meet council and community expectations.
John Goulter, who has owned the North Shore Tavern and former Pacific Paradise Bowls Club site since the mid-1990s, has proposed the development for the 12,775sqm block on David Low Way.
The revised design includes reduced building heights, meaning the number of residential apartments would decrease from 127 to 85 and the number of short-term accommodation apartments would drop from 78 to 52.
The development was first pitched in September 2023, with Sunshine Coast Council issuing an information request the next month that noted concerns about inconsistencies with the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme relating to building height and bulk, density and parking.
Public notification took place from November to December 2023, which attracted 72 submissions (55 of them properly made), and further meetings with the council were held in June and November 2024.
In February, the revised design was submitted by Place Design Group, on behalf of Padstow Holdings Pty Ltd and Mr Goulter’s Sherringham Holdings Pty Ltd, with Mr Goulter saying he expected the application would be heard at the July ordinary meeting of council.
“Our team made the decision to reduce the yield of the overall project from five and six storeys to three and four storeys to align with the current planning scheme and community expectations,” he said.
“The project now only sees one metre over height for one aspect of the development, the short-term accommodation component, and this is largely due to flood height requirements and underground infrastructure located at the site.”
A response to further advice, submitted by Place Design Group with the revised plans in February, provides more details about the changes.
“The proposed development has been changed in response to council’s further issues raised as well as community stakeholder feedback received through targeted engagement and as part of the statutory public notification period,” it says.
“The short-term accommodation (which has been reoriented to front Timari Street instead of Menzies Drive) has been reduced in building height from the previously proposed six storeys to four storeys.
“The multiple dwellings (oriented to the southern boundary and Menzies Drive) have been reduced in building height from the previously proposed five storeys to four storeys. The multiple dwellings (oriented to Lerner Street) maintain a three-storey building height.”
The resulting height for short-term accommodation building would decrease from 20.2m in the initial plans to 15.25m, while one of the three residential buildings would increase height from 9.36m to 10.38m. The other two would have reductions from 15.80m to 14.20m and 18.85m to 14.20m.
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The revised plan also includes a greater allocation of floor space for commercial tenancies, with 1086sqm now proposed, up from 170sqm.
The residential buildings would be arranged around a communal space with pool, gym and residents’ lounge. The North Shore Tavern, which opened in 2009, will remain in place.
Mr Goulter also responded to public feedback about the loss of the Pacific Paradise Bowls Club if the development is approved.
His company Sherringham Holdings purchased the vacant Pacific Paradise Caravan Park in the mid-1990s, with about half of that land sold to the bowls club to allow it to build an additional green and larger clubhouse. The company also bought the land and developed the adjacent North Shore Village complex around 2004, which is anchored by a Coles supermarket.
“With respect to the bowls club, which is zoned for sport and recreation, there is some misinformation and confusion in the community in terms of the history of the association who ran the bowling greens,” he said.
“Essentially, the bank forced the sale of the bowls club in a closed EOI for the site. This was owing to maladministration of the former bowls club committee. Our offer happened to be the highest during the closed EOI process and we were successful in buying the site back.
“We allowed the bowls club committee to continue to run, rent free, for two years. Unfortunately, a committee was unable to form and progress a sporting association and subsequently folded as a club.
“We attempted to find other tenants in line with the sport and recreation zoning but the interest was simply not there as the venue was for a fit-for-purpose bowling green.
“Residents have been stating publicly, both in properly made submissions and via social media, that the bowls club should be reinvigorated, however residents and the community were provided with ample opportunity to do this and the community sentiment or ‘drive’ was not shared or acted on.
“We now propose to redevelop the site as it has dilapidated and is becoming an eyesore subject to vandalism.
“We had previously entertained a possible Aldi supermarket, however this was problematic with the Coles supermarket across the road and likely to appeal any approval of a competing business.
“We then decided to provide much-needed housing within this well-located site.
“In line with affordability and the housing crisis, we have been generous in our offering of a substantial amount of one-bedroom apartments, and ample parking provisions are also demonstrated, further addressing community concerns.
“There is a commercial component required by council and we hope to see professional suites such as another medical practice and the like, and we propose a gymnasium that is planned to be open to local residents.
“We are told this application will be heard at the July ordinary meeting for decision.”
