Noosa Council has approved a second five-star hotel in eight months, with the 69-room Noosa Springs Boutique Hotel proposal given the green light.
Mayor, Frank Wilkie said the hotel was another example of what could be achieved when applicants took the time to work with Council to deliver quality development.
“This project, coupled with the Calile Hotel approved in October last year, has been long planned and intended to boost capacity for high-spending visitors seeking a quality experience,” the Mayor said.
“Providing purpose-built, high-end resorts also eases pressure on our residential areas to deliver quality short-term accommodation.”
The Mayor thanked the applicant, GH Properties, for being willing to engage with Council’s expert planning staff and for listening to councillors’ concerns with the original 109-room hotel proposal.
“This application presented rare complexities involved with assessing a proposal on a split-zoned lot with non-mapped open space recreation and tourism accommodation uses, plus potential impacts from the nearby wastewater treatment plant, which had to be worked through,” he said.
“There also were concerns to be resolved about fire safety and the resort’s initial scale, which extended into the biodiversity waterways and wetlands overlay area.
“By taking concerns on board, the applicant has been able to deliver a hotel that has minimised impacts and returned ecological benefits, including the planting of 120 koala habitat trees, glossy black-cockatoo feed trees, plus landscaping and site rehabilitation with suitable native trees.”
The new resort is expected to employ 100 staff once open and contribute approximately $8.86 million in post-construction gross regional product (GRP) annually. It will also help to provide appropriately-sited quality accommodation for visitors ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games, the Council said in a statement.
