Seven townhouses planned for central Palmwoods site

Ecohaus Pty Ltd has applied to establish seven three-bedroom dwellings at 12 Fewtrell Street.

A seven-townhouse development has been proposed for a prominent site near the centre of Palmwoods, with the developer arguing the project responds to the town’s character while making appropriate use of medium-density residential land.

Ecohaus Pty Ltd has applied to Sunshine Coast Council to establish seven three-bedroom dwellings at 12 Fewtrell Street, on a 1429sqm corner block adjoining Mary Street and behind Rick’s Garage.

The two-storey development would provide 11 resident car spaces, two visitor spaces, motorcycle and bicycle parking, private open space and landscaping along both street frontages.

A planning report prepared for Ecohaus by Murray & Associates said townhouses and other multiple dwellings were envisaged within the site’s Medium Density Residential zoning.

The report said the design used gable roofs, traditional materials and appropriate colours to complement Palmwoods’ Queensland character. 

The buildings would remain within the site’s 8.5m height limit, with site coverage of 38 per cent – below the allowable 40 per cent.

The proposed density of 66.2 equivalent dwellings per hectare exceeds the planning scheme’s nominated range of 30 to 50. However, the report said this was accepted during pre-lodgement discussions because other design requirements had been met.

A traffic assessment found the proposed parking, access and manoeuvring arrangements complied with council requirements and the project was not expected to noticeably affect the surrounding road network.

The proposal has nevertheless drawn objections from Palmwoods Action Group, which argues the multi-dwelling development would conflict with provisions intended to preserve the town’s low-rise, country-town heritage character.

The group also raised concerns about the contemporary design, limited access roads connecting with Margaret Street and a lack of on-street parking. 

The code-assessable application, reference PLM25/0187, will be decided by Sunshine Coast Council. Code-assessable means the application is measured against a set of predetermined planning rules, and if it meets those rules, council has less discretion to refuse it – unlike an “impact-assessable” application, which allows for broader public objection and merit-based assessment.

Artist’s impressions.

The site is on Fewtrell Street