APPROVED: Controversial Buddina Beach Development approved by Sunshine Coast Council

Sunshine Coast Council has approved the controversial ‘Buddina Beach’ apartment building at a meeting held on Tuesday. The building will be positioned on the corner of Talinga Street and Pacific Boulevard and the corner of Talinga Street and Illuka Avenue, taking over 6 current house sites.

The building will include 73 units, a corner store, pool, and two levels of car park.

The Friends of Buddina group packed out the gallery as the fate of the development was debated by councillors.

After 2 hours the decision was made and a tight but majority vote 6-5 ensured the development approval.

During the meeting, councillors raised environmental concerns but assured they could be mitigated.

For Buddina residents it was a disappointing outcome, but they say the fight isn’t over yet.

Resident Tracey Goodwin McDonald said she was "disgusted" at the decision and that there were a number of avenues the Friends of Buddina would immediately pursue, including legal action.

Ms Goodwin McDonald said she felt councillors had blamed residents for not making their concerns known during the public consultation period for the existing 2014 Sunshine Coast Town Planning Scheme.

During the meeting, councillors raised several concerns on behalf of the community. Concerns were focused on the impact of the environment and that the 21m building was "out of character" with the coastal community, which is currently predominantly populated with single and double storey houses, as well as environmental concerns.

The area was first zoned as "high-density" in the 2004 Caloundra City Plan, and further in the current 2014 Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme.

The council planning officer who delivered this morning's report assured council experts had determined environmental concerns surrounding erosion and the impact on nesting turtle population could be mitigated.

Only one submission against the proposal was properly made during a lengthy public consultation period before the current planning scheme was adopted.

Councillors delivered a split vote in favour of approving the development, to be undertaken by Pacific Diamond 88 Pty Ltd.