Beerwah keeps growing

By Greg Brown

WITH the popularity of hinterland towns on the increase, the pressure for infill development will only gather pace.
Following the article in GC&M News (22 June) about a development application for five units on the 901m2 block at 1 Henry Street Beerwah, two further applications have been lodged with Sunshine Coast Council to increase density on existing blocks.

The first is to split the 2,023m2 residential block at 6 Simpson Street into three small land lots of 400m2 and one of 447m2, plus a driveway access.
The smaller blocks are allowable under the planning scheme, as the land is within the medium density zone.
The property is surrounded on both sides by similar existing unit and townhouse developments. The planning report states that the proposal is “consistent with the existing land use and settlement pattern of the surrounding area”.
The land and house belong to June Wimberley, who has just celebrated her 90th birthday. She has lived there for the past 67 years.
To read more about the development plans, go to https://developmenti.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au and search for RAL21/0061.

The second application, over the 3,656m2 block at 2758 Old Gympie Road Beerwah, is a proposal to split the land into four new allotments.
As the land is zoned for low density residential, the blocks must be larger than the Simpson Street proposal.
In this case, the blocks range from 966m2 to 1,233m2 in size.
The existing house will be retained on one of the new parcels.

The land is situated in front of the Twin Cedars Estate and is next door to 2752 Old Gympie Road, which has a current development application seeking to split the block into six lots with sizes ranging from 600m2 to 840m2.
To read more about the 2758 Old Gympie Road development, go to https://developmenti.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au and search for RAL21/0067.

The third and most recent application is for ten three-bedroom two-story units at 2 North Street Beerwah.
Five of the units have a one-bedroom self-contained space downstairs and two bedrooms with kitchen and living space upstairs, which would allow for the downstairs space to be rented as a separate space or be used as a granny flat.
The other five units have their living space downstairs and three bedrooms upstairs.
All have a two-car undercover garage, a small rear yard and access to two communal spaces.
The planning report notes that the proposal exceeds the allowable site density for the 1,946m2 block (69 dwellings per hectare rather than the maximum 50) as well as the allowable percentage site cover (49% rather than 40%).
In comparison, the similar sized block next door has eight units.

To read more about this development, go to https://developmenti.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au and search for MCU21/0207.
The flurry of development applications may be because the current planning scheme is poised for review and amendment, making land developers unsure of future development opportunities.