Blue Care expects to start construction within months on Sunrise Beach retirement precinct

A mother and son say they will fight until the end against a $100m retirement village precinct as developers announce they are “months” from construction.

Blue Care is progressing its plans for a retirement precinct at Sunrise Beach despite a campaign being led by a mother and son, Maxine and Spencer Hitchen.

A major church organisation expects to break ground this year on a controversial retirement project that has been the subject of a young boy’s grassroots campaign with 50,000 petitioners.

Construction is in sight 14 years after Blue Care launched plans to develop a $100m retirement precinct with a 102 bed aged care facility and 68 home retirement village at Grasstree Court in Sunrise Beach.

But mother and son Maxine and Spencer Hitchen say they will fight it until the end to prevent the clearing of 56 she oak trees that are known feed trees for glossy black cockatoos.

“We’re used to walking past that area and seeing the glossies feeding … but what we’re going to be seeing is absolute annihilation,” Ms Hitchen said.

Blue Care is developing a $30 million aged care facility as part of a $100 million retirement precinct at Sunrise Beach.

“I don’t understand why they don’t think this is wrong.”

UnitingCare is expected to spend up to $500,000 over five years to manage a nearby 3ha offset site where they will plant about 450 she oak trees.

The Girraween Nature Refuge site is being managed by ecologists Liam Pratt and Kate Gregory who are growing the trees that will be planted there.

They said the trees would take seven to nine years to mature and the process started in 2018.

But Ms Hitchen said she had concerns about whether or not the glossy black cockatoos – known to be fussy eaters – would feed at the offset site.

“(The offset) doesn’t go far enough … it’s still 5.8 hectares they’re clearing,” she said.

“The impact of this development is going to be huge.

Ecologists Liam Pratt and Kate Gregory are preparing Blue Care’s offset site for its approved retirement village development at Sunrise Beach. Picture: Patrick Woods.

“They’re selling the idea that you’re living on the national park.

“It hurts that they’re selling this environmental side of the development but destroying the environment to produce it.”

UnitingCare group property general manager Lavinia Dack said her organisation expected to start construction for the aged care facility within months.

It is estimated the project will create 170 jobs.

The company received approval from Noosa Council for a minor change to adapt the design to retain more trees in 2019.

Dozens of feed trees for glossy black cockatoos will be cleared for the $100m retirement precinct at Sunrise Beach.

The project will be constructed in several stages over five years.

The aged care facility will be first, then the village.

Ms Dack said once complete the precinct would home 260 residents and address Noosa’s “critical shortage” of aged care and retirement living options.

The aged care home will be developed by Blue Care and the retirement village by Lendlease.

Ms Dack said Blue Care was advised no glossy black cockatoo nesting sites or a drinking sites were on the land.

Ms Hitchen said she would continue to host protests on Sundays at the UnitingCare church at Grasstree Court.

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Originally published as Blue Care expects to start construction within months on Sunrise Beach retirement precinct