Gympie council rejects plans for 49-lot Mothar Mt subdivision

The Gympie council has cited noise concerns as one reason for its decision to reject a developer’s plan to create almost 50 housing blocks within a kilometre of the Mother Mountain Speedway.

Plans to subdivide a Mothar Mountain block into 49 lots have been rejected by Gympie Regional Council over flooding and bush fire concerns.

Plans to subdivide a 41ha block of land at Mothar Mountain, south east of Gympie, into 49 house lots have been rejected by Gympie Regional Council over multiple concerns including flood, fire and the long term impact it would have on the Mothar Mountain Speedway.

The subdivision plans were lodged in May 2022 by developers Justin Ham and Colivy Pty Ltd.

They asked the council for permission to alter already approved plans for a subdivision on the 41ha Noosa Rd block, first given the green light in 2014.

Those plans allowed for the land to be sliced into 40 lots, while the new application sought to extend it to 49.

However, they were refused by the council’s Planning Department in early September 2024, with the department outlining a number of concerns which made the project unviable.

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Plans to subdivide a 41ha block of land at Mothar Mountain, south east of Gympie, into 49 house lots have been rejected by Gympie Regional Council over multiple concerns including flood, fire and the long term impact it would have on the Mothar Mountain Speedway.

These included the fact that the subdivision was exposed to risks from natural hazards including landslips, bushfire, and flooding.

Some of the proposed blocks were “located within a high and medium potential bushfire intensity” area with steep slopes, making firefighter access inadequate.

A Mothar Mountain subdivision’s potential impact on the nearby speedway, which has been running since at least the 1950s, was a concern raised by the Gympie council in its rejection notice. Photo Contributed

The plan further failed to protect the existing use of the nearby Mothar Mountain Speedway, which has been running since at least the 1950s, given the “significant noise” it generated.

Noise from the soon-to-open Gympie Bypass was a concern too.

“There are no relevant matters in the public interest that warrant approval of the development in the circumstances and the proposed development will have serious adverse town planning consequences,” the department’s refusal notice says.

Nine submissions were made against the proposal, including from ANARRA Wildlife Rescue and the Mary River Catchment Coordinating Committee.

The council’s notice does not outline what impact the rejection may have on the previously approved development plans at the block.