Plans revealed for 116 room hotel, childcare centre near airport
Plans for a five-storey 116 room hotel and a large childcare centre to be built near Townsville Airport have been lodged with Townsville City Council.
Townsville
Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Plans for a five-storey 116-room hotel and a large childcare centre to be built near Townsville Airport have been lodged with Townsville City Council.
The application states the hotel and childcare centre will be built in John Melton Black Drive, Garbutt, if approved. The 39,110 sqm site will be nestled between the airport, existing homes and Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.
The hotel will be designed to cater for the short stay and business market, “where customers prefer the convenience of being close … to the airport”.
RELATED
Townsville City Council opens up tenders for Castle Hill cafe
Castle Hill to feature cafes, ziplines and more in major development plan
James Cook University secures $46 million NAIF loan to build 7-storey student housing complex
The application, lodged on behalf of Gold Coast-based developer Garbutt Developments Pty Ltd, explains the hotel would be built in the northwestern corner of the site and would be about 18m wide and 60m long, offering views of “significant Townsville landmarks” such as Castle Hill, Rattlesnake Island, Bushland Beach and Town Common.
The separate childcare centre will consist of a single storey building about 5.4m high with a 961 sqm outdoor play area.
Garbutt Developments Pty Ltd received approval from the council to develop a residential development with a car hire store, a motel with a restaurant and a childcare centre in 2006, which was extended until July 2019. That approval has lapsed and changes have been made.
The developer took the council to court last year after it refused to further extend the residential development approval.
Garbutt Developments, according to court documents seen by the Townsville Bulletin, applied for an extension on time of the approval in 2010, then again in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The council notified the company on July 24, 2019 that its development approval would not be extended because it was no longer consistent with current laws, rules and policies and that under new rules the development would need to be referred to the Department of Defence and Townsville Airport.
The council also argued community awareness of the development was no longer considered acceptable because 15 years had passed since residents had been given a say.
Originally published as Plans revealed for 116 room hotel, childcare centre near airport