Residents are being invited to have their say on proposed changes to a development in a bustling Sunshine Coast suburb.
Locals have until July 21 to make submissions on a revised plan that includes 80 units, a restaurant, healthcare services, indoor sport and recreation, office space and a shop off Koel Circuit at Peregian Springs.
Approval with conditions was granted for a hotel and units in 2022 but Mark Bain, the director of developer Billy Lids Australia, told Sunshine Coast News in March that it would abandon the tavern in favour of more services and apartments.
An information response covering letter from planning specialists Pivotal Perspective, to Sunshine Coast Council on June 18, outlined how the updated proposal would better suit the area.
It stated that a gym and other mixed-use services, along with more apartments, would be more appropriate than a tavern.
“There is a growing trend of older populations engaging in group fitness activities offering specialised classes that focus on balance, strength, mobility and recovery,” it stated.
“As a result of the changes in demographics and the increasing focus on wellbeing on the Sunshine Coast, rather than ‘sportsman’s taverns’ with ‘pokies gaming’ and TAB areas, the owner has reviewed the trends and seeks to amend the commercial uses of the development to meet the demand for these services.
“The mix of uses includes a food and drink outlet at the main corner entrance to the Village Centre to provide for a sense of arrival to the precinct.
“The larger tenancy on the first floor is to most likely cater for a recovery gym and/or office/medical suites while the downstairs tenancy can be used for a variety of complementary retail or commercial uses adjoining the restaurant tenancy.
“The layout demonstrates a more appropriate mixed-use response that addresses the need for a mix of more residential units within the predominantly single detached housing estate.”
The proposal includes 30 additional one and two-bedroom units, which would be over three levels.
“The residential uses are integrated within the commercial mixed-use development to provide both activation to the street and open space privacy for residential users,” the letter stated.
“The plans have also been amended to include a greater landscape frontage open to the sky along the northern frontage.”
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Construction is already underway on 50 already-approved apartments. The proposed mixed-use development would be built next to them.
The report noted the new plan would also include fewer car parks than previously proposed.
“The development provides 73 car parking spaces, with the acceptable outcomes of the Maroochy Plan seeking a minimum of 70 bays.
“A total of 28 spaces are required for the commercial uses and 42 spaces for the residential component.”
The planned changes are also expected to reduce noise impacts.
“The new plan removes more impactful use from the proposal and replaces it with daytime activities associated with allied health/gym uses and a smaller cafe/retail tenancies on the ground floor,” it stated.
“The building is to be designed to contain the music within the tenancies to ensure future (gym) classes do not impact upon the residential uses.”
Sunshine Coast News last week contacted Mr Bain and Mark Bain Constructions, which is responsible for the building work, but they declined to comment.
Peregian Springs has an estimated population of almost 12,000 residents. The proposed development would be located across the road from the Peregian Springs Shopping Centre, which is undergoing an expansion.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
