Plans have been lodged for a residential development aimed at older Sunshine Coast residents looking to downsize without leaving their local community.
Halpin Property Group (HPG) said it had submitted a proposal for an estate in south Coolum, to expand residential options in the area.
Director Darren Halpin outlined the initiative.
“South-East Queensland is facing significant housing pressure, and we believe part of the solution is making sure we are delivering the right types of homes for people at different stages of their lives,” he said.
“This proposal is about creating genuine housing choice for people who want to right size as they get older, while allowing them to remain connected to the community, family, friends and services they know.
“When someone can move into a home that better suits their stage of life, it can also free up a larger established home for another family. That creates a positive housing chain and helps make better use of the homes we already have.”
Information from HPG noted a development application was lodged with Sunshine Coast Council for land at 150, 162 and 164 South Coolum Road, Coolum Beach. Sunshine Coast News has not sighted this application on Sunshine Coast Council’s Development.i portal at the time of publication.
HPG stated that the application followed an extensive period of planning, technical investigation, economic and community analysis, and engagement.
HPG said, via a media release, that engaged specialist expertise across planning, environmental, ecological, hydrological and infrastructure matters to understand the site and inform the proposal now before council.
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The Group also stated that it also examined changing demographics, local housing needs and the broader pressures being created by continued population growth across the region.
HPG said the work reinforced the importance of increasing housing diversity while considering how new communities can complement local infrastructure, services and the longer-term needs of the surrounding area.
“As a family business, it has been important to me that we don’t sit in an office and assume we know what the community thinks,” Mr Halpin said.
“I’ve spent time getting out and talking with neighbours and people from across the broader community, and we’ve heard a really diverse range of views.
“That feedback has been genuinely valuable. We’ve listened carefully to the issues people believe are important, we heard a lot of positive feedback about the type of housing being proposed and about the opportunity to consider other infrastructure that could benefit the broader community.
“We have sought to incorporate that feedback into the design where appropriate and feasible. We now look forward to continuing that conversation through the development application process, including how this proposal can integrate with and support the broader infrastructure needs of a growing region.”
HPG stated that community and stakeholder engagement helped provide the project team with a greater understanding of local priorities, lived experiences and the issues that matter to people in the surrounding area, and the engagement will continue as the application progresses through council’s assessment process.
“We understand the importance of getting development right, which is why we have taken the time to properly understand this site and bring together experienced specialists across the key areas that need to be considered,” Mr Halpin said.
“We wanted to submit an application that was well researched, technically robust and responsive to what we have heard from the community. We are confident the development would make a positive contribution to the community.
“This is not simply about adding housing numbers. It is about creating a greater diversity of homes, allowing people to age within the community they love and helping established family homes become available for the next generation.”
Halpin Property Group stated that it believed the south Coolum proposal represented an opportunity to deliver a positive long-term housing outcome for Coolum and the wider Sunshine Coast: providing more choice for residents, supporting ageing in place, helping existing housing stock move between generations and considering how future development can contribute positively to the needs of the growing community.
“We are proud of the application we have submitted and confident in the depth of work behind it,” Mr Halpin said.
“We look forward to working constructively with Sunshine Coast Council through the assessment process and continuing the conversation with the community about the benefits we believe this development can deliver.”
Sunshine Coast News has asked HPG how many homes the development could have, what types of homes they could be, when construction could start and when residents could be welcomed.
