Further submission from applicant 13.10.2023

 

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qc

STARCO

4 October 2023

Councillors

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Noosa Council
Pelican Street
Tewantin QLD By Email

Dear Councillors,
Noosa Springs Boutique Hotel

I have been following with interest the progress of GH Properties’ application to construct a
boutique five-star hotel at Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort. I note that Councillors were
opposed to the proposal before the decision-making period was put on hold. As the person
largely responsible for the creation of Noosa Springs, which is generally recognised as now
being an important element of Noosa’s tourism infrastructure, I believe the following
comments may have some relevance.

I have practised as an architect in Noosa for over 40 years and won many industry awards for
my designs. Furthermore, I have also developed several iconic projects in Noosa, including
Noosa Springs.

Our family purchased the 103ha of land on the banks of Lake Weyba in 1992, with the dream
of creating a golt course development like no other in Australia. It was swampy bushland
then, but I could see its potential, and believed that it would become an asset for the region. I
travelled internationally to research other leading integrated golf course developments and
selected what I felt were the best features of many of them for Noosa Springs. My plan,
shared with other members of my family, was to establish a precinct of beautiful homes
designed to meld with the natural environment. The residential precincts would surround a
superb golf course and a splendid resort inspired by timeless architecture, offering facilities
that would make living, and visiting, at Noosa Springs something special.

Together, we drew up a masterplan for what would become the Noosa Springs Golf and Spa
Resort and presented it to Noosa Council. I must say, though, that Council staff and most
Councillors were always supportive of the project and understood the benefits it would bring
to our region. In November 1995 Noosa Council granted approval for 544 homes, a golf
course and resort, and for a 200-room hotel. Like us, the Councillors understood that short-
term accommodation was integral to a successful and effective resort.

In subsequent years, some of the appetite for short-stay accommodation was met by The
Fairways apartments we built along the Ist fairway of the golf course. Most of those have
been used as permanent accommodation by their owners and a small number of those
remaining in the short stay letting pool are not enough to meet the needs of visitors,

STARCO DEVELOPMENTS PTY LTD ABN 59 010 290 605
PO Box 1184, Noosa Heads, Queensland 4567 fi (07) 5474 8925 / (07) 5449 8663 [ [email protected]