Plans lodged to transform Gooburrum Road into 21-lot rural residential estate

A large rural property on the edge of Bundaberg could soon be split into 21 blocks under a two-stage subdivision proposal.

Gooburrum Rd could see a huge new residential development.

A 37-hectare rural property at 90 Gooburrum Road could be transformed into a 21-lot rural residential estate under a development application lodged with Bundaberg Regional Council.

The proposed subdivision would be delivered in two stages, starting with the creation of two lots and a new road, followed by 20 new blocks designed for rural residential living.

Gooburrum Rd could see a huge new residential development.

Stage 1: Creating a management lot

Stage 1 would split the site into two lots — one to retain the existing home and infrastructure, and another earmarked as a “management lot” for future development.

Lot 100, the larger of the two, would cover 27.7 hectares (68.4 acres) and include most of the site’s Rural zoning, the existing home, and infrastructure such as a water pump.
It would be accessed from a new internal road off Gooburrum Road.

Lot 101, covering 8.45 hectares (21 acres) of Rural Residential zoned land, is intended to be sold to a party with the means to complete Stage 2 of the development. It includes a designated building envelope to ensure any development won’t interfere with future subdivision plans.

A caretaker’s residence and some ancillary structures near the SunWater easement would be demolished, but the existing water infrastructure would remain.

Stage 2: 20 new rural residential lots

Stage 2 proposes the creation of 20 rural residential lots on the northern portion of the site, with all blocks meeting the minimum 4,000m² size required under council planning rules.

Plans include building envelopes for each lot and agricultural buffers to reduce the potential for conflict with nearby farming operations.

A 35-metre-wide buffer would separate the new blocks from Lot 100, while 25-metre-wide transitional buffers would be in place along adjoining undeveloped rural residential land to the east and west.

Two new stub roads would provide connections to Dingles Lane and potentially to future development on neighbouring land.

Gooburrum Rd could see a huge new residential development with roads.

Road access and traffic

The new road would connect directly to Gooburrum Road at the site’s existing access point, within a 60km/h zone. A traffic assessment submitted with the application found the expected increase in vehicle movements would have a negligible impact on the road network.

Sight distances from the new intersection meet minimum safety standards, although the eastbound view is partially limited by a crest in the road. Basic left- and right-turn treatments are recommended to improve safety, particularly for school bus traffic and cyclists who use the chevron-buffered shoulder near Gooburrum State School.

Dingles Lane, which currently serves just a few properties, may see redistributed traffic as a result of the new connection.

Planning assessment

The proposal has been lodged under the Planning Act 2016 and assessed against several local planning codes, including those for reconfiguring a lot, rural and rural residential zones, transport and infrastructure, landscaping, and nuisance mitigation.

According to the development report, the application complies — or can be conditioned to comply — with all relevant benchmarks and is recommended for approval, subject to reasonable conditions.

The developer has indicated the full build-out could take up to six years.

Originally published as Plans lodged to transform Gooburrum Road into 21-lot rural residential estate