Developer Gurner not giving up on Port Douglas presence

Development

Howard Salkow

Senior Journalist

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Tim Gurner has revised his original application with council to develop four luxury holiday homes on the Flagstaff Hill site.

Melbourne-based developer Tim Gurner, whose $60 million ‘love project’ on 69-73 Murphy Street overlooking the esplanade may now be something of the past, but he is not throwing in the towel.

In a letter dated December 6, 2021, Douglas Shire Council acknowledges the development application lodged by Tim Gurner though Planning Plus, a Cairns-based town planning and development firm.

This has been posted on the Douglas Shire Council website.

The notice confirms that the development application was submitted on November 25, 2021 pursuant to section 51(5) of the Planning Act 2016.

The land in this application is situated at 67–73 Murphy Street, Port Douglas, and is described as Lot 2 on RP724386 and Lot 516 on PTD2094.

The site covers a total area of 2,833m2 with frontage to Murphy Street to the north and Esplanade road reserve to the east. The land generally falls from north to south, being at the foothill of Flagstaff Hill which is located to the north.

Given past quarrying activities on the site, a large cutting exists along the Murphy Street frontage, with much of the site being significantly lower than the road and a large benched area remains. The site remains vacant of any built improvements and is currently vegetated.
 

Initial application

In the initial application, Gurner had hoped on acquiring a 900sqm piece of land on a road reserve adjoining Jalun Park. Council voted against supporting Gurner to purchase the state government-owned land.

The land is owned by the Department of Resources and council advised the Department last May it objected to the application to close the road.

The fresh application, prepared by Planning Plus, outlines the proposal which comprises a high-quality residential development of four luxury holiday homes which are consistent with the surrounding character of Flagstaff Hill and the Four Mile Beach locality.

The proposal is somewhat unique given the characteristics of the site which have been formed from past quarrying activities. The site now exhibits a large benched area partly surrounded by steep cut batters and is essentially “sunken” into the hillslope, providing the ability to absorb the proposed built form and integrate it into the surrounding landform.

This has created the opportunity for a proposal with increased building height that is still able to sit appropriately within the broader landscape and maintain the visual characteristics of the area.

The development proposed is ‘assessable development’ as defined under Section 44 of the Planning Act 2016 and thus requires assessment against local Planning Scheme provisions and relevant State legislation.

This report provides an overview of the development proposed and addresses the various planning considerations relevant to Council and other agencies’ assessment of the proposal.


In summary, the report concludes that:

a) The submitted information conforms to the requirements for making a ‘code-assessable’ development application under the Planning Act 2016; and

b) The proposed development is considered to be consistent with the outcomes sought by the Douglas Shire Planning Scheme 2018 and associated policies, and adequate justification is considered to exist to facilitate the intended development including any relaxations sought against relevant technical code provisions.

In December 2020, Gurner said of his original proposal that he is continuing his diversification into the ultra-high-end wellness, tourism and hotel space for a boutique ultra-luxury wellness, hotel and private residences retreat in Port Douglas situated on 2833sqm of beachfront land.

Once complete the site will feature 16 ultra-luxury private residences and a further 18 boutique hotel rooms.

Gurner said the retreat would encompass a holistic wellness experience complete with his own Samsara Wellness brand – the first of which will launch at the developer’s sold-out St Moritz address in St Kilda - containing a spa, sauna, ice baths and cryotherapy, pool and treatment rooms.

The hotel will also be home to a new iconic restaurant and cocktail bar, where the team are understood to be in final discussions with a world class chef to ensure the hospitality offering can be at a new level for Far North Queensland.


Protests

But in a letter addressed to Gurner and posted on social media, the Protect our Paradise group said the way in which he had chosen to bring his brand into Port Douglas is in our opinion damaging on many levels.

They listed five issues:

  • It heavily and negatively impacts our iconic Four Mile Beach and Esplanade Ruins our Esplanade Park (Jalun Park);
  • It ignores the traditional town planning codes that have protected our “no taller than a palm tree” village signature which attracts guests and residents alike to the region;
  • It uses all but 100% of the 2833 square metres of the beach-end Flagstaff Hill with hardly a tree left standing (standard setbacks to adjoining buildings are not even provided for);
  • Gurner’s intention to purchase from the State Government a portion of Flagstaff Hill located in the Esplanade to build on;
  • It creates a precedent for high rise high-impact developments throughout the Shire.


Newsport approached Gurner for comment, but did not respond in time for publishing.
 

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