Emu Park Apartments development: New scaled-down plans submitted

A number of changes have been made to the scale of the building, balcony view and roofline. The development will go before the council table this month.

The developer of the Emu Park Apartments project has lodged new plans to Livingstone Shire Council, taking out one storey and seven units and making changes to the roofline and balconies of the building.

The development was first lodged with council in October 2021 for the site of the vacant land across from the Pine Beach Hotel in Emu Park on the Capricorn Coast.

The application was met with heavy feedback from locals as it went against the 2018 planning scheme, which limits developments to four storeys.

The first plans for the Emu Park Apartments included seven storeys with 49 units and shops on the ground floor, estimated to be a $35 million build.

A total of 192 submissions were received in the two week public notification period, 12 of which were in support and the remainder had objections to the development as proposed.

LSC planning officers wrote to the developers in February, recommending “that the bulk and scale of the building be reduced” and the design of the roof be reviewed.

“The proposed building bulk, at a uniform seven storeys in height with replicated floor plates for all levels above ground level, is not considered to be consistent with the character of the area and the character intended for the zone,” the council letter stated.

“The bulk of the building is not considered to be adequately mitigated by the articulation, balconies, landscaping, colour/material selection and building fenestration.

“Further, the building is not considered to be meeting the village aspect of the character of local centre zone code.”

 

 

 

New plans were submitted and include six storeys, 42 units and an altered roofline to “segment the building form to create additional articulation” and altered balconies “to vary the appearance of the building”.

In the documentation for the new plans, the applicant presented objectives for the project.

They claim the development will “offer improved choice, diversity, competition and convenience for tourists and residents in an attractive, functional and modern facilities” and “contribute to and foster the vitality and vibrancy of the Emu Park centre”.

“It (the development) proposes higher density development to meet the needs of residents and tourists at a location where infill development is expected, and where economies and efficiencies can be obtained with respect to infrastructure that has been delivered and planned, including council’s significant investment in public facilities and attractions at Kerr Park,” the applicant letter stated.

The application is now set down for a decision at the council meeting on May 17.

“Like all development applications, assessment is based on the relative merits of the proposal’s conformance to the planning scheme, particularly those elements that apply to local centres in coastal locations,” LSC CEO Cale Dendle said.