Councillors capitulate

Developer gets approval for scaled-down estate

IN THE end, voting to refuse a 40-lot townhouse development on the escarpment at Prince Henry Heights only delayed the inevitable.

Just shy of two years after rejecting Shangri-La International Holdings Pty Ltd’s original application for a 40-lot gated community, Toowoomba Regional Council voted yesterday to settle the appeal, allowing a scaled-back 32-lot development to proceed.

Back in March 2018, the council went against its own officer’s recommendation to approve the development and voted unanimously to knock back Shangri-La’s code assessable application.

Crs Bill Cahill, Anne Glasheen and Carol Taylor were absent from the original meeting.

At yesterday’s council meeting, only Cr Paul Antonio and Cr Geoff McDonald maintained their original stance, voting against the settlement alongside Cr Cahill and Cr Taylor.

The six remaining councillors voted to settle the appeal, with Cr James O’Shea declaring a conflict of interest and leaving the room for the vote.

The approved development is subject to a number of conditions and will include 32 threebedroom units and an associated community facility, which will operate between the hours of 7am and 10pm.

The approval contains more stringent conditions for bushfire management and for the construction of homes in sloped areas than was first recommended by the council officer.

The development sparked a backlash among the Prince

Henry Heights community in January 2018, with residents at a community meeting on the site at Charlmay St voting to oppose the proposal.

An extensive letter writing campaign followed, with 73 people lodging their objections to the development.

Councillors originally rejected the development on the basis that it did not comply with the purpose and outcomes of the low density residential zone code, that it would detract from the amenity of nearby residences, that it did not provide for the safety of people and property from bushfire and landslide risk, that ecologically significant areas would be disturbed, and that it was in conflict with the Toowoomba Regional Council Planning Scheme and could not be conditioned to comply.

Planning and environment committee chair Cr Chris Tait was contacted for comment.

matthew.newton@thechronicle.com.au