Following some community concern, GH Properties, the owner of Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort, has made changes to its application to construct a five-star boutique hotel within the resort grounds.
The changes come as Noosa Council prepares to consider the application which, if approved, would give Noosa its first five-star hotel in more than 35 years. The amendments to the application involve all four tennis courts being relocated above the upper car parking levels, and the tennis pavilion being centrally located within the courts.
The changes follow comments from some sections of the community about the importance of an area mapped as Core Koala Habitat. As well as retaining koala feed trees within that area, positioning the tennis courts above the car parks will provide significant additional covered car parking. The number of undercover car parks will increase from 107 to 188 for the added convenience of members, guests and visitors.
Solar panels, previously provided in the area now to be occupied by the tennis courts, will be shifted to above the decked car park near the western boundary, and form a partial lightweight roof over the carparks on the upper deck.
The site originally earmarked for tennis courts will now be used for passive recreation – including an all-weather bush pathway meandering through the trees, small timber decks with seating focussed on art sculptures, small cabanas beside open lawn areas and interpretive signage for the trees and plants. Pathways will link to other useable open space areas and the spectacular lagoon swimming pools.
The site will become a feature of the resort – a peaceful place where people can sit, relax and enjoy the natural beauty under the tree canopies and the lush vegetated surroundings.
While the development of the proposed hotel will result in the removal of some other trees, GH Properties intends to plant 120 new koala habitat trees and 25 she-oaks, a source of food for glossy black cockatoos, within the golf course.
The 106-room boutique hotel, which would be operated by an international, five-star branded hotel manager, would feature themed, luxurious furnishings, and offer a superior level of service. It would consist of five buildings, stepping up the hillside and set around a spectacular area containing lagoon pools on two levels.
The hotel would provide complimentary facilities and become integrated with the existing Noosa Springs complex, providing economies of scale and organisational efficiencies.
The clubhouse kitchen would be expanded and refitted with the latest equipment to service a remodelled Relish restaurant and refurbished to meet the high standards of finishes and services expected.
The project, expected to cost at least $50 million and create 360 jobs, would represent a substantial investment in Noosa’s tourism infrastructure, and addresses a significant shortage of short-stay accommodation in the region. It would be the first five-star hotel in the region since the Sofitel, in Noosa Heads, was built in 1989.
The project is the initiative of the GH Properties group, which has owned Noosa Springs Golf and Spa Resort since 2014. The project manager is Phil Starkey, whose family built and developed Noosa Springs into one of Australia’s most successful master- planned golf course residential resorts.
The proposed boutique hotel would comprise 98 standard rooms, six luxury suites and two presidential suites, with the hotel’s five buildings designed to not protrude above the existing tree line. Although parts of the buildings are three-storey, from most external vantage points the hotel complex will look like a two-storey development. The boutique hotel would include an outdoor fire pit seating area, a bar, café, lobby area and covered parking.
“The proposal represents a significant tourist accommodation opportunity that will provide enormous benefit to Noosa Springs members, residents and the broader Noosa community,” Mr Starkey said.
“It will augment and relieve pressure on the existing accommodation market and assist in growing local tourism. It will provide a world-class accommodation experience and further support Noosa’s brand of luxury and high-end experiences.”
