Developers behind a proposed tourist park in Beerwah have taken their case to the Planning and Environment Court after Sunshine Coast Council rejected their application.
Beerwah Pines Pty Ltd lodged the appeal on October 3, challenging council’s refusal of plans to transform a 17.63-hectare former sand mine on Steve Irwin Way into a cabin and camping park.
The original development application, submitted in November 2023, detailed plans for 11 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom cabins, alongside camp sites, a pool, playgrounds, barbecues and other shared facilities.
Public consultation took place between May and June this year before council refused the project in September. In its decision notice, the council said the land was set aside for potential industrial expansion under the Beerwah Further Investigation Area, and that approving the park would reduce land available for future employment uses.
“The tourist park would consume land earmarked for future industrial development, reducing the available supply, which is in high demand,” the report said.
Council also cited concerns including flood risks, loss of agricultural land, inadequate demonstration of community need, and uncertainty over the site’s effluent treatment capacity.
In its appeal, Beerwah Pines argues the proposal aligns with planning intent and would not interfere with future investigations into the area’s long-term industrial use.
It states the park does not result in inappropriate land use activities on the land, or give rise to fragmentation of land within the investigation area and describes the project as appropriate in “nature, scale and intensity” for a rural setting.
The developers also claim the proposal complies with flood and stormwater regulations and places buildings outside any identified flood-prone zones.
They point to the site’s long industrial history as a sand mine, saying this diminishes its suitability for agricultural purposes but makes it ideal for tourism-related use.
“The land was used for an extractive industry from 1994 until July 2020,” the appeal states. “The historic use of the land and the works undertaken under council approvals have improved its suitability for a tourist park.”
The company also notes that an existing approval remains in place for eight short-term cabins, a three-bedroom manager’s residence and a 300-square-metre arts and craft centre at 1286 Steve Irwin Way.