Activists appealed the local council's approval of the 18-storey resort on the grounds that it would endanger local wildlife. The community fears the court's green light for the development will permanently change their seaside town.
A wildlife group had appealed a local council's approval of an 18-storey resort development for a Queensland town. The court has approved amended plans to reduce the building's height and minimise the impact of lighting on surrounding wildlife.
The community is concerned the decision could set a precedent for further high-rise development in the town. Share article Lobby groups against a seaside Sheraton high-rise resort say they have mixed feelings about the development going ahead with a reduced height that still exceeds the planning scheme. In 2024 the Fraser Coast Regional Council approved Sunny Beach Land's application to build an 18-storey, five-star Sheraton Resort at Hervey Bay, three hours' north of Brisbane.
It would have been the largest hotel development north of Brisbane but the local branch of the Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland appealed the decision, on the grounds that light emanating from the building would impact on endangered sea turtles and migratory birds. It said the 18-storey development should be reduced to six storeys, the maximum height allowed in the area under the council's planning scheme.
After 19 months of mediation meetings between the developer, WPSQ and the council, revised plans were lodged with the Planning and Environment Court on Thursday. Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland lodged the appeal to protect endangered sea turtles and migratory shorebirds from the impacts of the resort's lighting. In the documents, the developer agreed to lower the height of the building's residential tower to 16 storeys and the hotel tower to 12 storeys.
The basement car park has been removed to address noise concerns, and exterior lighting has been reduced. On Friday the Fraser Coast Regional Council confirmed in a statement that the court had approved the development and resolved the appeal. WPSQ Fraser Coast branch president John Williams said the group was satisfied by the compromise which avoided further costly legal action.
"Wildlife was hoping to reduce the building height to something nearer the six-storey limit provided for in the planning scheme," he said. "However, we realise that there are risks and costs in litigation. Accordingly, we thought it was prudent to settle at a point where we believe we had made significant gains against the 18 storeys that council had approved.
"There were also negotiated changes to the conditions to ensure that the fragile marine environment was better protected. " Community activist Sue Brooks says she felt mixed emotions at the resolution of the long-running appeal. Sue Brooks is a former local councillor and the leader of the Torquay Towers Appeal Group which funded the appeal.
"There's disappointment that one of the buildings will still be 16 storeys high, we have not got a building in Hervey Bay to that height,""But there's also relief that this is now completed because we're into year two. For a lot of us, it's consumed a lot of work and emotional input.
" While she accepted that all avenues for appeal have been exhausted, Ms Brooks held out hope that escalating construction costs would make the project unviable. "I'm still hoping that this building isn't constructed, I think economic conditions will be the deciding factor as to whether there is money to go ahead and construct it," she said. The appeal's supporters are concerned the development's approval will set a precedent for more high-rise development along the Hervey Bay seashore.
In a statement Sunny Beach Land director Dan Cuda welcomed the outcome.
"A vast majority of the local community support this project and understand its value as a catalyst for continued growth and a prosperous future for Hervey Bay," Mr Cuda said. "Today's decision is an exciting result that will see the creation of a world-class, five-star hotel and residential development, putting the Fraser Coast on the map as global tourism destination. " The development's lighting design will reduce the building's impact on sea turtles by minimising artificial skyglow, he said.
Councillor Paul Truscott was one of six councillors to have approved the development, with five against. In a statement, Cr Truscott noted that the development would still include a five-star hotel, residential apartments and recreational facilities. Top Stories
Dan Cuda Sue Brooks Torquay Towers Appeal Wildlife Preservation Society Of Queensland Sheraton
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