Whitsunday Regional Council to consider Port of Airlie apartment complex proposal

More people are set to enjoy the ‘Airlie Beach lifestyle’ as local authorities clear the way for new apartment blocks on a prominent coastal site.

A multistorey Airlie Beach apartment complex has won council approval despite concerns it could ruin views and cause traffic chaos.

Whitsunday Regional Council today granted Port of Airlie owners Meridien preliminary approval to exceed the statutory 12m height limit on a vacant lot on Port Drive to build three apartment blocks comprising 52 dwellings.

Mayor Andrew Willcox voted in favour of the development at an ordinary council meeting at Bowen, saying he trusted the recommendation of council officers who deemed the proposed three and four-storey buildings acceptable under the region’s current planning scheme.

Port of Airlie owners Meridien have submitted plans for a residential and short-stay apartment development at 26-32 Port Drive, Airlie Beach including three buildings of three to four-storeys and comprising an array of one, two and three-bedroom layouts. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

“I asked the question, did this meet the town plan and they said yes, the only departure was the height,” Mr Willcox said after the meeting.

“But the height is still actually lower there than existing buildings at the Port of Airlie – so that’s why I supported it.”

Division 1 and 2 councillors Jan Clifford and Al Grundy voted against the proposal.

Ms Clifford pointed to proposed building heights and setbacks that “didn’t comply with the town plan”, but declined to comment further.

Mr Grundy said his vote against was because “the community has an expectation that we should work within the town plan”.

He also raised concerns about potential traffic congestion and conflicts between residential land use and the nearby marine terminal.

“I sometimes wonder if there might be competing forces there,” he said of the port precinct.

BEFORE: 26-32 Port Drive, Airlie Beach is currently vacant. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

AFTER: What 26-32 Port Drive, Airlie Beach will look like with the new apartments. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

Nine community members submitted objections during the development application’s October-December 2020 public notification period.

A council officers’ report summarised the top three concerns as: “The height of the proposal” including “community opposition to high rise development”, “No demonstrated planning need”, and “Inadequate parking provision”.

The plans include the provision of basement car parks and resident storage bays, together with a central pool area and a small community facility intended to be used for a cafe/restaurant, shop, office, medical consulting rooms or community use, oriented to the Cruise Whitsunday transit terminal. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

Save Our Foreshore president Suzette Pelt said members of her group were more focused at the moment on fighting a 12-storey resort recently approved for the northern end of the port precinct – on Coconut Grove – which prompted more than 2000 objections.

In response to today’s separate approval, Ms Pelt said on behalf of the group: “A temporary halt needs to be placed on Port of Airlie [development] applications.”

Council officers say the proposed development will provide ‘a visual point of reference within the southern part of the POA, contributing positively to the southern gateway entry to Airlie Beach’. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

Meridien, in receivership, argues the Port Drive apartments will provide considerable economic and community benefits while making a minimal impact on views across the bay or to the forested mountains of the Mandalay Peninsula.

Council officers used Meridien’s Visual Impact Analysis to dispute objections based on building height, stating in their report to the council: “The conclusions from the VIA are accepted in that there will be a minor to moderate local view impact and from a regional context there will be an extremely limited visual impact”.

Another high-rise development on Airlie’s horizon

A brand-new multistorey apartment complex planned for the Port of Airlie promises to meet the housing needs of a maturing population without ruining the views residents love.

Port of Airlie owners Meridien plan to build 52 apartments on a vacant lot on Port Drive catering for both short-term and permanent residential uses and associated business and/or community uses, and in doing so exceed the site’s statutory 12m height limit.

Port of Airlie owners Meridien have submitted plans for a residential and short-stay apartment development at 26-32 Port Drive, Airlie Beach including three buildings of three to four-storeys and comprising an array of one, two and three-bedroom layouts. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

An Economic Need Analysis submitted to Whitsunday Regional Council argues allowing one of the three proposed apartment blocks to exceed the height limit by three metres, or one storey, is necessary to meet increasing demand for “diversity of living and lifestyle arrangements to support the ageing community and the nature of households within the local area”.

The preliminary approval (variation request) proposes to vary the maximum building height in the Mixed use zone code from 12m to 15m to allow for the development. Picture: Whitsunday Regional Council

The analysis, commissioned by Meridien, states “there is significant economic, community and planning need for the proposed residential apartment development and therefore need for the heights proposed”.

“The proposed development at the heights proposed, will deliver to the Airlie Beach community improved choice in stock that will particularly appeal to residents and owner occupiers,” it states.

“Restricting the development to under 12 metres and the resultant loss of a further six three-bedroom apartments will continue to restrict choice and the capacity to meet the needs of residents seeking an Airlie Beach lifestyle.”