Sekisui House lists Yaroomba beachfront land development site for sale

Sekisui House has listed its controversial Yaroomba development site for sale but those close to the project are not celebrating as questions are raised over who would buy it.

Sekisui House has listed its controversial beachfront Yaroomba development site for sale after years of community backlash, posing questions of who would buy the 18ha parcel.

Sekisui House’s plans for the beachfront land included a $900m residential development and five-star resort, which had received significant backlash and was involved in an ongoing court dispute.

The 1415 David Low Way site was listed for sale with Ray White Special Projects and advertised as a “premium development parcel”.

It had existing approval for a gated residential development with 291 homes, 41 terrace buildings up to three storeys and 138 apartments in four-storey buildings.

A price was not listed with an expressions of interest campaign open until July 7, 2022.

Development Watch president Lynette Saxton said time would tell the future of the development and be dependent on the new owner, if it was to sell.

“Whoever buys it as long as they respect the wishes of the community and they don’t try to push the boundary again, that’s fine,” she said.

The advertisement has raised questions over who would be in the market for the major development site.

The land is across the road from billionaire Clive Palmer’s Palmer Coolum Resort where Mr Palmer has started a redevelopment.

A spokesman for Mr Palmer refused to provide a comment on if the businessman would be interested in the site.

Sekisui House Australia Group chief executive Atsuhide Seguchi said it was the last beachfront masterplanned development site of significant scale on the eastern seaboard of Australia.

“The highly sought-after beachfront site at Yaroomba presents an exciting opportunity to bring to market quickly house lots and apartments under a current approval for a masterplanned residential development.”

Sunshine Coast Council divisional councillor Maria Suarez described the sales process as another level of uncertainty for the site.

“I would hope that if it does sell the new owner can deliver something that is palatable to the community and in line with the planning scheme,” she said.

Organisation Sunshine Coast Association of Residents president Melva Hobson said she was very curious on the outcome of the expressions of interest.

“It’s a wait and see from here,” she said.

Ray White Special Projects and Colliers were appointed to manage the sale process.

Take a look back at Sekisui House’s history

From concerts to protests to packed Sunshine Coast Council chamber, the community has closely followed the development plans at a beachside parcel of land at Yaroomba for more than a decade.

In 2009, Sekisui House announced it would take control of the residential project at the Hyatt Coolum, now Palmer Coolum Resort, with approval to build up to four storeys on the site.

Community discontent had already grown over plans for the site, with residents appealing against the development in 2007.

In 2013, the Sunshine Coast Daily reported that Sekisui House was eyeing a major redevelopment of the site.

It was looking at the potential for a hotel, retail and residential mix on the land.

In 2018 the Sunshine Coast Council approved Sekisui House’s development application that meant it could build a hotel up to seven storeys on beachside land at Yaroomba as well as a residential community of up to four storeys.

Community members gathered in protest, with signs, at the special council meeting at the Nambour chambers to hear the six-to-five in-favour vote.

The development application was approved despite the council receiving 12,326 community submissions, 9306 of which had objected to the proposal.

Community opposition further strengthened as Friends of Yaroomba began fundraising for an appeal of the decision by Development Watch and the Sunshine Coast Environment Council in the Planning and Environment Court.

In 2019, international pub-punk band The Chats returned home to Coolum to raise close to $15,000 for the cause through their Wrong Way Sekisui concert fundraiser.

In 2020 Friends of Yaroomba also organised a traffic display to raise funds and awareness of community opposition to the plan.

The Planning and Environment Court appeal went ahead in 2020, which Development Watch and the Sunshine Coast Environment Council lost in 2020 in front of Judge Nicole Kefford.

Development Watch then appealed the decision in the Supreme Court in early 2021.

A 2020 protest before the appeal in the Planning and Environment Court.

The Court of Appeal in February, 2022 found three errors of law in the earlier decision by Judge Kefford to dismiss Development Watch’s appeal and approve the application for the beachside resort and development.

In the latest decision by the Court of Appeal in May, Sunshine Coast Council and Sekisui House has been ordered to jointly pay two-thirds of Development Watch’s Supreme Court appeal costs.

Lyn Saxton from Development Watch, Jim Moore of Friends of Yaroomba and Narelle McCarthy from the Sunshine Coast Environmental Council, celebrate the February decision in the Court of Appeal. Picture: Lachie Millard

To date, Friends of Yaroomba and other community groups have raised about $500,000 for the court appeals.

The matter has now returned to the Planning and Environment Court.