Villawood, Gasparin confident of EPBC approval for Half Moon Bay housing development at Trinity Park

Work will start on the stylish Half Moon Bay development on Cairns’ northern beaches this year providing one last hurdle is cleared.

Work on the innovative $170m Half Moon Bay residential development will kick off before the end of 2024 providing the project gets the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation tick of approval.

Villawood chief executive Alan Miller said the company did not anticipate any problems.

“We are not concerned, and once we get that through, we’ll launch the project, we’ll be selling houses,” Mr Miller said.

The Half Moon Bay project at Trinity Park was approved by Cairns Regional Council in January although lot sizes are a lot smaller than what is typical for the northern beaches. Picture: Supplied

“We’ve had a lot of interest in the site, it is one of the last remaining, if not the only remaining, beachfront site north of Cairns, and it is not just local, there’s interstate.”

Half Moon Bay lot sizes range from 176 sqm to 698sq m.

The 250-lot development will feature detached dwellings and terrace-style housing for those seeking a low-maintenance lifestyle in proximity to the beach

“We think it is sympathetic to Cairns-style housing, and it is very high end architecture,” Mr Miller said.

Mr Miller said it was too early to provide a price guide.

“It is not going to be over the top, crazy prices, it will be reasonably priced,”

Mr Miller said.

Developer Frank Gasparin partnered with Melbourne company Villawood Properties to develop his Half Moon Bay property at Trinity Park. Villawood CEO Alan Miller, Gasparin Group owner Frank Gasparin and Mason Cowle of Ellivo Architects at Half Moon Bay. Picture: Brendan Radke

The national company has a Queensland base at Southport but this is its first foray into the Far North.

Villawood is doing the project in conjunction with veteran Cairns developer Frank Gasparin, who has held the 18.78ha site for 20 years.

They lodged a comprehensive development application late last October and despite some objections, the project got the green light from Cairns Regional Council in January.

Villawood chief executive Alan Miller says buyers can expect a high end product Picture: Supplied

“We decided three years ago to focus on Far North Queensland and Townsville, Cairns has got a great future in terms of the economy and positive signs in terms of population growth,” Mr Miller said.

“A lot of buyers are choosing to more regional areas.

“We’re a national development company and this was part of our geographic diversity expansion.”

Approval was granted despite the prescribed minimum lot size for that location being 800sq m.

Division 9 councillor Brett Olds objected to the proposal in part because of the lot sizes.

Originally published as Villawood, Gasparin confident of EPBC approval for Half Moon Bay housing development at Trinity Park