Hervey Bay Resort Plan Approved After Wildlife Compromise

0:00It's May 1st. I'm Corey with The Story, and this is Adelaide News today, local news powered by AI. A big win for developers in Herbie Bay after the planning and environment court, Greenlit and amended Sheraton Resort Plan. Originally pitched as an 18-story 5-star hotel in residences, the project got scaled back to a 16-story residential tower, and 12-story hotel tower to ease wildlife worries. They also ditched the basement car park and cut exterior lighting to protect local sea turtles and birds. This all kicked off in 2024 when Frazier Coast Regional Council approved the massive build, the tallest north of Brisbane. But the local wildlife preservation society appealed, pushing hard to drop it to the sixth-story limit in the planning scheme. After 19 months of back-and-forth mediation with the council and developers, these revised plans sealed the deal on Friday. Most on the ground have mixed feelings. The wildlife group's president called it a solid compromise, locking in better marine

1:00protections without dragging through more core battles. A former counselor leading a community appeal group felt relief after two years of grind, though bummed about the still towering heights, nothing then. High has gone up in Herbie Bay before. The developer, Sunny Beachland, is pumped, saying most locals back it as a tourism booster that'll put the Frazier Coast on the global map. An approving counselor pointed out the core features, stay, luxury hotel, apartments and rec spaces, now with smarter lighting to curb Skygloon, turtles. With appeals exhausted and conditions tightened for the environment, the project's fate now hinges on rising construction costs. Some hope that'll stall it for good while other sea jobs and grow it ahead. Herbie Bay watches close as this could spark more high rises.