Controversial Birtinya Birtinya town plan passes council vote

Following a lengthy debate, the Sunshine Coast Council has approved plans to increase building heights in Birtinya.

Aerial photos of the development at Birtinya, Sunshine Coast.

A proposed town plan for an up-and-coming Sunshine Coast suburb could soon see building height limits extended by five storeys.

The proposal for the Birtinya town centre went before the Sunshine Coast Council at the ordinary meeting on Thursday, where councillors voted in favour of the motion after a lengthy debate.

The Temporary Local Planning Instrument would allow for some new developments in Kawana Waters to reach up to 15 storeys, compared to the current 10-storey limit, while others would increase from an eight-storey limit to 10.

Stockland is the current “master developer” behind the 1613ha site.

The planning proposal has already proved divisive among the community, with a total of 758 people responding to the council’s survey.

According to the report 52 per cent of respondents strongly opposed the height limit increase.

The report stated Birtinya’s town centre provided the “ideal location” to develop into high-density accommodation.

“Birtinya Town Centre is the last remaining greenfield site in the area covered by Development Control Plan No. 1 - Kawana Waters and has always been nominated as a Major Regional Activity Centre, with retail, commercial and high-density residential land uses proposed,” the report stated.

“It is an ideal location to provide more residential density as it already has the infrastructure capacity to support additional development and does not directly adjoin any low-rise residential neighbourhoods.”

The report also stated the new developments would need to provide a diverse and affordable range of housing, in response to the region’s current crisis as well as the need for council to meet the state-imposed growth targets.

“Using a Temporary Local Planning Instrument to make the changes to the Development Control Plan is considered appropriate given the urgent need to respond to the housing crisis and capitalise on the opportunities presented by the forthcoming investments into the Kawana Sports Precinct in the lead-up to and during the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” the report stated.

The TLPI would also allow for hotels to be built on Eastbank next to Sportsmans Parade to boost the accommodation offerings ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

At Thursday’s ordinary meeting, councillors Terry Landsberg, Winston Johnston OAM, Jenny Broderick, Christian Dickson, Tim Burns, Taylor Bunnag, Maria Suarez, David Law, and Mayor Rosanna Natoli voted in favour of the motion.

Councillors Joe Natoli and Ted Hungerford voted against it.

With the council’s approval, the TLPI will now be sent to the Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning for final approval.

Originally published as Controversial Birtinya Birtinya town plan passes council vote