A surprise application for a Coles Supermarket in Palmwoods has stirred community debate. Without prior engagement with council planners, the proposal, which conflicts with current zoning and size regulations, also has residents divided. 

Div 5 Cr Winston Johnston said the project would be held to meticulous Council scrutiny because of its scale and the potential impacts on existing small businesses. 

The site was originally earmarked for residential use. Added to that, the supermarket’s size exceeds local planning schemes. 

The project faces a complex approval process amidst a community torn on its necessity. 

Cr Johnston said the application was lodged with Council early July 2023 and came “out of the blue”. 

“This application for a Material Change of Use came as a surprise to myself and council planners as there had been no prior notification. Nor had there been any pre-lodgement discussions with council planners,” he said. 

“Based upon current direct community feedback to me, our community is quite divided regarding this application. However, most residents want a supermarket, not necessarily a full line Coles supermarket.”

Cr Johnston said the application carried “significant and complex planning matters” that would need to be negotiated and considered by the planning team. 

Planning issues include:

• The subject land is zoned for medium density residential development and has a long-standing court approval for residential apartments. This zoning prohibits the development of shops and/or supermarkets, as it is a residential only zone.

• The subject land falls outside the designated business zone for Palmwoods. Main Roads are concerned about access and also the applicant’s proposed roundabout, Council has a Local Area Plan (LAP) for the Palmwoods/Woombye area and this LAP restricts shop/supermarket floor areas to be a maximum of 1200msq. Well short of the 3400msq stated in this application.

• It is important to note that the site works carried out over the last six months are as approved by the original court decision relating to the townhouse development approval (not for a supermarket). These completed works may not be adequate for a supermarket development or any other commercial development.

• A supermarket of 3400sqm, may have significant impact on existing retail shops in both Woombye and Palmwoods. For example butchers, bakers, newsagents, delicatessens, bottle shops, other supermarkets.

• Council has already granted recently, approval for a supermarket between Hill and Church Streets, opposite Palmwoods Hotel. This approved site is located within the designated business zone for Palmwoods.

• The applicant will need to supply additional information to council’s planners and consideration of all these matters will take many months. As Council enters the Election caretaker period at the end of January, continuing through until the swearing in of new councillors in April, a decision on this application is extremely unlikely to occur before May or June 2024.

To view the application and supporting documents, which are quite extensive, please go to the Sunshine Coast Council Website and access Developmenti, application MCU23/0178.

 “For those interested, although the Woombye Spar supermarket exceeds 1200sqm in floor area, that supermarket was established decades ago and as such is an existing pre-conforming development and therefore not subject to the current Local Area Plan for the Palmwoods/Woombye area,” said Cr Johnston.