Sunshine Coast Council approves Twin Waters West development
New plans for a controversial Sunshine Coast housing development have been given the green light, with one councillor saying “most people don’t care” about the outcome.
Sunshine Coast
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Stockland’s controversial Twin Waters West housing development has been approved with one councillor saying he found when speaking with locals that “most people don’t care”.
Given the tick of approval by Sunshine Coast Council staff last week, the proposal for a 104ha, 450-home housing development at Pacific Paradise, dubbed Twin Waters West, went to vote at the last council meeting of the year on Thursday, December 14.
The latest proposal by Stockland was submitted in May this year, following a Planning and Environment Court dismissal of the developer’s appeal on a prior council rejection of the development plan.
The site borders the Sunshine Mwy to the west and the existing Twin Waters residential development to the east.
Council staff recommended application approval, with 100 conditions.
After almost three hours of questions and discussions, councillors voted in favour of the controversial development, six votes to four.
Councillors Maria Suarez, Winston Johnston, David Law and Joe Natoli were against it while divisional councillor Jason O’Pray, deputy mayor Rick Baberowski and councillors Peter Cox, Terry Landsberg and Ted Hungerford voted in favour.
Mayor Mark Jamieson was not present during the discussion due to personal reasons, however would not have been involved due to a prescribed conflict of interest.
Stockland’s Development Director, Adrian Allen, welcomed the decision by council.
“We look forward to working with all stakeholders on the next steps,” he said.
Mr O’Pray moved the motion to approve the project and told councillors that he found most people “didn’t care” about the development proposal.
Council’s formal consultation process resulted in 399 submissions - 370 of which were properly made.
There were 255 in support of the project and 130 against, with the majority who lived within the immediate area opposed to it.
However Mr O’Pray said he surveyed locals and found that of 240 people, 31.9 per cent wanted the development 28.63 per cent were against it and 39.42 per cent did not care.
“This (development) been challenged in every element in every single way,” Mr O’Pray said
“I’ve seen and witnessed over 12 years a North Shore community go ‘no bloody way’.
“Then as the years have gone by I’ve seen them go ‘oh come on. Is this what we really want? We can do better than this.’”
Mr O’Pray said that was no longer the stance of the majority of locals.
“It’s very obvious to me that the people who don’t want it still don’t want it,” he said.
“There’s a lot of people out there who do want it.
“But the overwhelming majority that I’ve spoken to actually are okay and don’t care.
“The number one answer was ‘I don’t care’.
“Which really says a lot about the community’s complacency and trust in our conversations today.”
Mr O’Pray said the council staff involved in the recommendation were professional, experienced, highly knowledgeable intelligent.
The development approval included an extension of the coastal pathway, more than 30ha of open space, a 50m wetland buffer and ecological corridor linking the wetland to the Maroochy River foreshore conservation area, and a wildlife conservation area.
Conditions included the development required an evacuation centre that could cater for more than 580 people for five days, building heights must not exceed 8.5m and that it must not exceed 450 residential lots.
The residential lots would have a minimum size of 500sq m and an average minimum size of 700sq m.
Stockland proposed a “freshwater curtin” between the lake and the wetland using treated stormwater from the development.
A flood model for the site has also been accepted by the council staff, and now Sunshine Coast councillors.
Those who voted against the development expressed ongoing concerns for developments on flood plains, as well as protecting the environment and wildlife.
Council officers stated it was a preliminary proposal, and changes could still be made.
This included plans for a few houses on Stillwater Drive that needed modification due to “unacceptable” predicted flood levels which would affect those backyards.
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