World-class tourism venture for Palmview

Huge tourism development for Palmview

A major development at Palmview is set to boost the area as an active and outdoor lifestyle tourism destination and bring almost $100 million a year into the local economy.

Situated on the Bruce Highway 1.4km north of Aussie World and next to the Sunshine Coast Animal Refuge, the largely forested 49ha block of land is set to be transformed into a major tourism precinct under a development application submitted to Sunshine Coast Council.

The land is currently zoned rural, with the material change of use application seeking to establish an integrated tourism precinct.

According to the application report, this will include a mix of indoor and outdoor recreation and leisure activities, low impact accommodation, cultural tourist attractions and food-based tourism facilities that “… showcase the region’s active lifestyle and environmental attributes and provides opportunities to deliver a paddock to plate experience”.

The application, submitted on behalf of Maroochydore registered company Hanseath Pty

Ltd by the town planning consultants Project Urban, is seeking approval for the overall tourism precinct concept and for stage one of the development.

In its entirety, the site is likely to include:

• A bus transit hub for public/private transport services and tour operators

• A brewery and distillery

• Specialty food sellers retailing locally grown and produced foods

• An eco-village consisting of 100 eco-luxe accommodation cabins connected by boardwalks

• A conference/wellness centre

• Various leisure and recreational facilities including adventure golf, bike and walking trails, low/high rope courses, zip lines, obstacle courses, indoor skydiving, rock climbing and virtual reality gaming

• Bushland areas preserved for conservation and low impact leisure activities

• A high environmental value wetland and riparian vegetated corridor

• An Indigenous cultural centre providing tourism experiences that draw on the knowledge, resources and skills of Indigenous people

The Indigenous cultural centre proposal will see art, food and cultural activity involving a variety of components including authentic traditional products and arts, an art gallery and shop, Indigenous song and dance shows, cultural demonstrations, a cultural information centre, Indigenous workshops for students and tourists, bush tucker nature walks, cultural tourism tours and the making and sale of Indigenous foods.

Building heights are planned to be kept to 12m or below, which is over the 8.5m allowable height under council’s planning scheme.

Under the original proposal, the developer wanted to include a 30m tall “short-term accommodation” building, presumably a multistorey hotel-style complex. However, this aspect was removed from the plans after early consultations with council when it was flagged as a potentially significant visual impact problem that would be incompatible within a rural setting.

The access to the development would be off the new western service road to be constructed as part of the current Bruce Highway upgrade.

As there is no water or sewerage services available, stage one of the development will require on-site sewerage treatment and water capture. Planning for future stages recognises the necessity to connect to sewer and potable water networks.

An economic impact study suggests that the development may be of significant benefit to the area.

It is estimated that the total economic output from the Palmview project is $94.5 million in year five, with a total of $40.4 million in on-andoff site expenditure in that year.

The construction phase will create an estimated 380 equivalent full time (EFT) jobs with wages and salaries valued at $17.9 million per annum.

The operational phase will generate an estimated 570 EFT jobs with wages and salaries valued at $27 million per annum.

To find out more, go to https://developmenti.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au and search for ‘MCU19/0157’.