Plans have been lodged to establish a Buddhist temple on a rural hinterland property that was previously used for intensive horticulture.
The temple would serve the Thai Buddhist community and be located on a four-hectare site at 180 Landershute Road, Landers Shoot, just west of Palmwoods.
A planning report by Murray and Associates (QLD) on behalf of Wat Pah Abhipunno Inc – a registered not-for-profit organisation – says the place of worship would include the temple or “sala”, an office, community kitchen, serving area and bathrooms.
“The proposal seeks to utilise the existing rural structures on site without any external building works,” it says.
“The use is low scale, compatible with the rural setting and appropriately separated from sensitive land uses.”
The development application, lodged with Sunshine Coast Council, seeks approval for a material change of use on the rural-zoned land, which is owned by Wat Pah Abhipunno Inc and Wat Buddharangsee Inc.
The property includes the existing dwelling, driveway and several rural structures, with the remainder made up of open grassed areas, scattered trees and dense vegetation.
“(It has) convenient access to Palmwoods and a range of services, amenities and the greater road network. Notably, this arrangement is ideal for patrons travelling to and from the proposed place of worship,” the report says.
It says an existing car park, originally used for the horticulture operation, would be retained.
“The proposal will utilise the existing gravel car parking area, which comfortably accommodates approximately 18 vehicles,” it says.
It also notes the proposal would not increase traffic beyond historic levels associated with the site.
“The previous land use generated additional traffic movements on site associated with employees. The proposed use is expected to result in a comparable volume of traffic and car parking demand, and therefore does not give rise to any adverse amenity impacts,” it states.
The report says Thai Buddhism places strong importance on temples being set within natural surroundings, rather than urban environments, and argues the location is appropriate despite being in the rural zone.
“The proposed use is very low-key and there is no amplified music that would generate offsite impacts,” it says.
If approved, the temple would operate daily from 9am-5pm, with small numbers of visitors attending throughout the day for “merit-making” practices such as offering food to monks, meditation and donating money.
The report says it is not expected that more than 10 people would be on site at any one time for these activities, with visits typically lasting 10-20 minutes.
Larger monthly gatherings of up to 40 people are also proposed, generally held between 10am and 1pm, in line with important Buddhist observance days.
“Thai Buddhism is rich in practices that blend traditional Theravada Buddhist teachings with local customs, folk beliefs and everyday rituals,” the report says.
“These practices vary between monks and laypeople but all serve the purpose of making merit, cultivating mindfulness and moving toward liberation from suffering.”
The application is subject to impact assessment.
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.
