Sunshine Coast to welcome first major resort in three decades
Japanese developer Sekisui House has finally won approval to develop the first major resort on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast in three decades with the approval for the $900 million five-star Westin Coolum Resort & Spa at Yaroomba Beach.
The area north of Brisbane has lacked a major high-quality resort since the cessation of Hyatt’s lease over the dowager Hyatt Coolum resort after it was acquired by millionaire businessman Clive Palmer in 2011. That resort has been mothballed since March 2015.
The Sunshine Coast Council approved Sekisui House’s plans for the re-development of an old golf course at Yaroomba Beach last week.
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The resort comprises 220 hotel rooms, 148 serviced apartments, 753 apartments, 98 dwellings, a 2770sq m village retail and major conference and recreation facilities with Mount Coolum in the backdrop.
Completion of the development across the 19ha site is expected by 2021.
Sekisui House has been battling the council and residents since at least 2014 to have a planning scheme amended for the controversial beachfront Yaroomba Beach site.
Visit Sunshine Coast chief executive Simon Latchford says the region north of Brisbane is in desperate need of new high-quality tourism accommodation that will also draw big conference crowds.
He says the Westin Resort & Spa incorporates environmental initiatives and Sekisui House, which is one of Japan’s largest commercial and residential builders, has been happy to significantly change original plans as a result of community and council feedback.
“The new Westin resort will play a fundamental role in attracting domestic and international business to the Sunshine Coast,” Latchford says.
This article originally appeared on www.theaustralian.com.au/property.
