Toowoomba council approves Gowrie Homestead at Kingsthorpe to become wedding venue despite opposition from neighbours

A homestead west of Toowoomba dating back to the 1870s has been approved to become a luxury wedding venue, however the project did not come without opposition from neighbours.

The Gowrie Homestead has been approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council to become a wedding venue.

A historic homestead west of Toowoomba will be converted into a luxurious wedding venue for up to 140 people, after plans were approved by the council despite opposition from neighbours.

Gowrie Homestead owner Jacqueline Purcell was given the green light in June to turn the 12ha site off Kingsthorpe-Haden Road into a “functions facility” designed for small to medium-sized weddings.

The approved alterations, which were proposed about a year ago, to the property include a 180sq m marquee, driveway from the road, 56 parking spaces and an overflow parking area and bus bay.

Under the DA, the homestead will be used for weddings and functions between 7am and 10.30am on designated days.

A plan to turn the Gowrie Homestead at Kingsthorpe into a wedding venue has been approved by the Toowoomba Regional Council.

The approval from Toowoomba Regional Council comes despite a submission from neighbour Margaret O’Reilly, who argued the conversion to a weddings venue would make the adjoining road “susceptible to traffic congestion and accidents”.

“Without the addition of a turning lane into this property any increased traffic is a risk,” she wrote in her submission.

In his statement of reasons, council planner Jayden Forbes-Mitchell said he agreed with the applicant’s provided traffic impact statement that the venue would not have an “adverse impact” on the network.

“A condition has been imposed requiring Kingsthorpe-Haden Rd to be upgraded to provide a basic right-turn treatment at the site entrance,” he wrote.

Mr Forbes-Mitchell also concluded the development was not in conflict with the site’s historical impacts as a farm, as laid out in the rural zone code of the council’s planning scheme.

Kingsthorpe – Gowrie Mountain Homestead (15km west of Toowoomba). pic David Martinelli

“The proposed development is located in proximity to existing buildings and is of a small scale nature,” he wrote.

“As such, it is considered that the development is sympathetic to the existing agricultural setting of the subject site and surrounding rural area.
“It is also noted that the proposed development is in proximity to existing structures and will not further fragment the rural land or diminish its productive capacity.”

According to various sources, the historic property was built in the 1870s and is included on the Toowoomba Regional Council’s local heritage register.

The five-bedroom homestead has Italian marble fireplaces, imported timbers of English ash and walnut, 4.9m ceilings, formal dining and lounge rooms, billiards room and cellar.