New over 55s village proposed for Limestone Creek Road, Yeppoon

An Australian developer has proposed plans for a massive village on the Capricorn Coast boasting 392 homes, with the potential for construction to start in 2024. See what the plans include.

Perspectives for the facilities at the development at Limestone Creek Road.

An Australian developer has proposed plans for a massive over 55s village on the Capricorn Coast boasting 392 homes, with the potential for construction to start in 2024.

The plans also include a residential subdivision with 130 lots.

Census data (2021) for the Livingstone Shire shows residents aged 65 years and older are the largest cohort with 20.2 per cent; three per cent higher than the state average.

Developers are seemingly capitalising on this as the latest proposal is the second application for an over 55s village for the region in the past 12 months, with 319 homes previously approved for Svendsen Road, Zilzie.

Overall lot plan for the relocatable home park and residential lots.

This new development application was lodged with Livingstone Shire Council in December for a parcel of land more than 55 hectares in size at 73 Limestone Creek Road, Inverness.

The site adjoins St Brendan’s College on a boundary and is a seven minute drive from Yeppoon Central.

The property was put on the market in March this year and hasn’t sold since 1981.

The rural vacant land on Limestone Creek Road.

The current owners have consented to the development application and a sale may be subject to planning approval.

The director of the company behind the development, Limestone Creek Road Developments, is Graham Burns.

Mr Burns has more than 45 years experience in land and property development in Australia and Asia Pacific.

He is also the director of Land Dynamics, which has completed more than 20 developments, mainly housing estates, with a huge chunk in Port Macquarie and other New South Wales sites.

The site is currently zoned rural, and part of the application is to change it to low density residential.

Perspectives for the bar and changing facilities in the development. Limestone Creek Road.

Clubhouse perspectives for the Yeppoon development.

The development application, prepared by Reel Planning, proposes “a relatively new offering in the market by providing only the second manufactured home park marketed specifically towards 50+ year persons in Livingstone Shire”.

Community facilities are proposed to support the homes in the village, including a clubhouse, pool, bar, library, games room, cinema, terrace and bowling green along with large expanses of natural, open spaces with picnic areas and pathways.

Renders of two-bedroom homes for the development.

An example of what the homes could look like in the Limestone Creek Road development.

There would be five housing types to choose from, between two and three bedrooms, all with individual garages.

The relocatable home park development would be built over 14 stages, with 40 to 50 lots per year to take about eight years to construct, to be completed in 2031.

The residential subdivision is planned to be built over two stages, of 30 lots per year, completed in 2028.

Site plan for the subdivision land at Limestone Creek Road.

The residential lots will range in size from 1,001 sqm to 4,996 sqm, aiming to “provide and cater for a larger variety of housing choice with the Livingstone Shire residential market”.

“The vacant land parcels (are) larger than the median lot size recorded in both Yeppoon and Livingstone Shire as a whole,” the report reads.

A pre-lodgement meeting was held with council in July, where they discussed the proposed land use/approval mechanism, ecology and biodiversity, lot layout and design, civil engineering, and external road connections.

Site plan for the development at 73 Limestone Creek Road, Inverness.

Ecological provisions have been included in the planning, with minimum 50 metre-wide landscape parkland areas to be rehabilitated with native species and minimum 30 metre-wide road on the northern boundary to mitigate bushfire risks.

The several hundreds of pages of documents accompanying the application make note of the Zilzie over 55s village that has been approved, noting there “is a sufficiently sized market to ensure that both facilities can operate separately, enhancing residential choice for local residents, particularly those who are wishing to downsize”.

Perspectives for the bar and changing facilities in the development. Limestone Creek Road.

An economic report was prepared by Bull and Bear Economics as part of the development application.

The report cites socio-economics and Census data of the Livingstone Shire, noting the average age of residents is 41.9 years and the age bracket is 65 years with 20.2 per cent, according to 2021 statistics.

The 65 years and older population within Yeppoon increased from 2577 persons in 2011 to 4073 persons in 2021, with a growth of 4.7 per cent per annum.

This age bracket is expected to grow again to 9471 persons in 2041.

“The socio-economic profile of Livingstone Shire indicates that the population is ageing at a faster rate than Queensland,” the economic report reads.

“These trends suggest that Livingstone Shire is a desirable population location for retirees or people approaching retirement age.

“Overall, the growing popularity of the region as a lifestyle location has placed upward pressure on dwelling demand.

“Likewise, the ageing population alongside lower household incomes within Livingstone Shire will result in an increase in the demand for smaller and more affordable housing opportunities, such as those offered by relocatable home parks, targeted at the 50+ year cohort.”

Renders for the clubhouse as part of the development.

There are four registered retirement villages within the Livingstone Shire, with a total of 312 independent living units.

The economic report determined there is a “growing need to provide additional manufactured home sites within Livingstone Shire”.

“The comparison of the projected demand and existing supply of retirement living within Livingstone Shire clearly demonstrates significant need for additional manufactured home sites, which can be delivered sequentially through the approval of the proposed development,” the report states.

The development application will now be assessed by planning officers and would be subject to a 30 day public notification period.

Originally published as New over 55s village proposed for Limestone Creek Road, Yeppoon