Austinvilla wedding venue could close after residents complain about noise to Gold Coast council

The council is poised to stop an award-winning and longstanding restored estate in the Gold Coast hinterland from hosting weddings, despite it employing dozens of staff.

THE Gold Coast City Council is poised to stop an award-winning restored estate in the Hinterland from hosting weddings.

Councillors at a planning committee meeting today backed an officer’s recommendation to refuse an application for a function facility and short-term accommodation at the venue in Austinville Road at Mudgeeraba.

GOLD COAST’S MOST POPULAR WEDDING VENUES

Treehouse accommodation at Austinvilla Estate, Austinville, Gold Coast

The Austinvilla Estate in recent years has won several awards after staging weddings in its rustic halls with which offer glorious views.

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A report to council said the owners, Synergy Enterprises Pty Ltd, had sought to create a function facility where weddings with up to 130 guests could be held twice weekly.

It would include an outdoor wedding chapel, multipurpose conference hall, kitchen, bar, games area along with a reception room with 28 beds.

A council officer’s report said the site had been unused until it was bought by Synergy Enterprises in July 2015.

WORLD’S MOST PINNED WEDDING DRESS TO STOP PRODUCTION

Properties close to planned wedding venue in the Gold Coast hinterland at Austinville.

The council then began receiving a number of complaints about noise at functions, the report said.

“Council issued show cause and enforcement notices for activities occurring on the site, on the basis those activities were not authorised by any lawful development permits,” the report said.

Synergy appealed the most recent enforcement notice to the Planning and Environment Court. Council officers suggested the development application was lodged retrospectively — or in council’s words to “render lawful all on-site activities, and to also resolve the enforcement notice appeal”.

“The legal proceeding is currently being held in abeyance pending the resolution of the development application,” the report said.

STORMS CAN’T STOP THIS HINTERLAND WEDDING

Plans for a wedding function room at the Austinville estate.

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Councillors at the planning committee meeting backed the officer’s recommendation with a final decision to be made at full council next week.

An Austinvilla spokesman said: “We are disappointed at council’s recommendation to oppose our application. The economic and social benefits from our family-run business to the broader community are substantial, given we have transformed Austinvilla Estate from a derelict property to an award-winning, thriving family run wedding and events venue.”

The statement said it employed 25 staff and well over 100 contractors and suppliers.

“We are somewhat surprised our development on 111 acres, that has been trading since the mid 1980s and is now one of Queensland’s leading venues doesn’t have the support of a council that is currently looking at approving smaller venues of only 3-4 hectares with no existing business in the Currumbin Valley.

“We have invested considerable funds in good faith to appease every considerable objection and have not had one councillor come to inspect what we know is benefiting the general Hinterland community and local businesses.”

Outside the meeting, area councillor Glenn Tozer said officers had multiple reasons why the application failed to meet the planning code.

“So this venue had a consent from 1987 to do a certain number of things, and they were conducting events not captured inside that 1987 consent,” Cr Tozer said.

The property was in an important environmental area and all business operators had to mitigate their impact, he added.