Eumundi Voice - Issue 103, 3 October 2024

COMMUNITY

Eco cabins proposal

An application has been lodged with SCC for 8 stand-alone cabins at Alsahwa Estate. The property is located on 15 hectares of exmacadamia farm zoned rural on Sudholz Road, Verrierdale.

A town planning report by RG Strategic, on behalf of the owner Jo Walker’s company Voyager Retreat Pty Ltd, says the proposal has been designed to minimise disturbance on vegetation, use previously cleared land and avoid koala habitat. The report states the cabins would be “seamlessly nestled within the rural landscape to create a harmonious and wellintegrated environment.”

The cabins would accommodate up to 32 people in total on the eastern side of the property with each of the cabins proposed to have two bedrooms, a kitchen, living area, deck and pool. Guests would be encouraged to use ancillary facilities such as a 24/7 gym, treatment rooms, pool, health hub, food and beverage services, and viewing deck.

Access is proposed from the existing driveway to a total 30 car parks – 16 for guests and 14 for staff – plus two accessible spaces separated by a loading area. Golf buggies would be available for people to get around the site and there would also be meandering walking paths.

The report says any noise would be managed by the use of natural materials, such as crushed granite on driving surfaces, as well as space and vegetated buffers, and the ancillary facilities would be compatible with a rural setting, supporting rural enterprises and tourism. The integration of cabins into the landscape “aims to contribute positively to the appreciation of the natural environment, avoiding significant effects on rural amenity”. Visit: t.ly/AbL-c.