Revised plans lodged for Voco Maroochydore
A new application has been submitted to the Sunshine Coast Council for the Voco Maroochydore development, which includes a hotel, restaurant, and residential apartments in a key entertainment precinct. The application follows the withdrawal of a previous proposal and comes after a significant hotel incentive received the green light earlier this year.
Initial plans for the Felix Capital project located at 15 Ocean St, Maroochydore, were pulled in April.
The original proposal envisioned a 13-storey, 47-metre high building, exceeding the area's 40-metre limit. At the time, application documents stated this additional height would be permissible under a temporary local planning instrument aimed at attracting luxury hotel developments to the Sunshine Coast by easing certain restrictions, such as building height.
Council records of email correspondence with Adams and Sparkes Town Planning indicate the initial withdrawal occurred after council staff requested further information in December of last year. Concerns were raised regarding the building's height, as the temporary local planning instrument was still in its draft phase and awaiting state government approval.
However, with the state government's endorsement of the temporary local planning instrument in April, the project has been resubmitted. Current documents assert that the development's proposed height now “complies in full” with the allowances under the approved instrument, making the application code assessable.
The updated plans detail a 13-storey complex featuring 153 hotel suites, nine residential apartments, and a hotel restaurant and bar. The ground floor will house the restaurant and function spaces, the second floor will offer recreational facilities, and hotel accommodation will span floors three to nine. The remaining upper floors are earmarked for the residential apartments.
The development also includes provisions for 104 parking spaces, 12 motorcycle bays, and 50 bicycle spaces.
The application documents highlight that several existing buildings in the Maroochydore area already surpass the height limit, including Northcliffe Apartments, City Hall, and the Habitat apartments, with further high-rise developments underway.
The documents also noted that the Ocean St precinct had been “largely void” of new developments, despite the area's need for infill development and its generous height allowances.
"The development of the subject site presents a genuine opportunity to stimulate the local economy and aid the renewal of this popular precinct, thereby delivering the intent of the planning scheme," the documents read.
The hotel's design is inspired by coastal and contemporary aesthetics, reflecting Maroochydore’s identity as a “city by the sea”.
Jonathan Jackson, 28th May 2025
