Cairns real estate: Tim Gurner has new plans for Murphy St in Port Douglas
With a proposal for a hotel and villas overlooking Four Mile Beach hitting a roadblock with Douglas Shire Council, property tycoon Tim Gurner has come up with a new plan.
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MELBOURNE property tycoon Tim Gurner has revamped plans for a choice block of land overlooking Four Mile Beach at Port Douglas after a proposal for a $60m resort stalled with Douglas Shire Council.
A development proposal for the 2,833sq m block at 69-73 Murphy Rd hit a roadblock over a small patch of scrub.
The development application lodged a year ago Gurner stumbled because it relies on acquiring a 900sq m patch of land on a road reserve adjoining Jalun Park – and the council backflipped on supporting Gurner to buy the state government-owned land.
The Department of Resources owns the land and council advised the Department last May it objected to the application to close the road.
The council initially moved to support Mr Gurner buying the land, then voted not to support it at a later meeting.
Mayor Michael Kerr accused fellow councillors of seeking to block the development.
Councillors Abigail Noli, Lisa Scomazzon and Roy Zammataro agreed to an amended motion “that we are not supportive” of the planned road closure.
As the proposal was relying on a closure of the road reserve, it was considered “not properly made” by the council.
There was also a vehement protest against the proposal led by resident Wendy Crossman, who owns By The Sea Port Douglas Resort.
Mr Gurner, who made the 2021 rich list with an estimated net worth of $634m, has lodged a fresh development application for four luxury homes on the site.
The previous plan was for 16 villas and 18 hotel rooms.
“The proposal comprises a high-quality residential development of four luxury holiday homes which are consistent with the surrounding character of Flagstaff Hill and the Four Mile Beach locality,” the application states.
Quarrying took place at the site previously, so it is sunken into the hillslope.
“This has created the opportunity for a proposal with increased building height that is still able to sit appropriately within the broader landscape and maintain the visual characteristics of the area,” the document states.
The building height from ground level would be 18.6m but because of the sunken nature of the site, it would almost fit the 13.5m prescribed building height line, the application states.
The Gurner Group has high-end projects in Melbourne and the Gold Coast, with 8500 apartments under development and completed and a development and management portfolio worth $7.5bn.
One of the company’s major projects is the Saint Moritz Beachfront residences at St Kilda, along with the Palladian project at North Fitzroy.
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Originally published as Cairns real estate: Tim Gurner has new plans for Murphy St in Port Douglas
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