The once sleepy village of Bowen is about to sprout a skyline after the approval of a massive beachside six-storey unit development.
Bowen Shire Council has decided to amend the old two plan, which only allowed for three storeys, and is now reaching into the sky.
“It’s pretty valuable land in some areas and I think it’s agreed that in some selected areas the only way is up,” Mayor Mike Brunker said.
Bowen, between Mackay and Townsville, has become a home for the riches reaped in the hinterland’s coal mining boom.
It now has hundreds of millions of dollars of development, either approved or in the pipeline.
The high-profile Cr Brunker, seen as the driving force behind the Bowen boom, insists his town isn’t about to become a mini version of the Gold Coast.
But a rival for Airlie Beach may be quietly emerging as land values have increased dramatically throughout the shire.
The Queensland Government has reported prices of selected beachside land increasing by as much as 500 percent between 2002 and last year.
Plans to duplicate a luxury 35-unit beachside complex at Bowen’s Rose Bay, which was approved last week, are also under way.
Cr Brunker said most of the land behind the new complex was reserved land and would not hinder many views.
“People are seeing Bowen as a holiday destination or a place to retire and put their feet up and they’re flooding in,” Cr Brunker said.
“But we won’t allow it to become a Gold Coast.”
“Although our town plan says only three storeys, in our new transitional scheme we can look at the plans and decide to go as high as six.”
Town Planner Barry Menzies warned the council at a meeting last week that concessions might prompt other developers to seek relaxation in planning laws.
But he said design considerations had been included in the 35-unit Rose Bay development to ease concerns. The building was set to become a landmark in the region for years to come, he said.
The council approved the development with a number of conditions.
Cr Brunker said the council was determined to protect the unique feel of the region.
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