Graham and Jude Turner are planning to expand the accommodation offerings on their Hidden Vale property outside Grandchester.
Applying through their company, Jilrift Pty Ltd, the couple are hoping to gain a development permit from the Ipswich City Council to establish a bush campground on the 227ha property at 617 Grandchester Mt Mort Road.
The campground is proposed to cater for up to 100 guests.
Facilities would include 41 standard and larger tent and caravan sites, eight glamping tents with ensuites, amenities buildings and a communal kitchen and kiosk on a section of the property distant from the Spicers Hidden Vale Retreat and the Hidden Vale Adventure Park.
In documents uploaded as part of the impact assessible application, it was noted that: “The campground layout and buildings have been architecturally designed by Aspect Architecture, who are ecotourism specialists, to provide for a functional layout and low-rise communal buildings of one storey.
“The main communal buildings (such as the camp kitchen, campground kiosk and amenities) have been designed to respect their bushland and rural setting by featuring a traditional and rustic country style and by being constructed from a range of Australian timbers with corrugated iron roofs.
“The main communal buildings also incorporate a range of light-weight building elements such as open timber verandahs or porches with traditional styled balustrades and pitched roofs with eaves and overhangs.”
Other proposed infrastructure includes parking for electric and standard vehicles and for people with a disability; a sewerage treatment plant and soakage zone, landscaping; and pedestrian and internal road links.
While the property falls within the tourism zone, the application is impact assessible as the campground project takes in a bushfire prone area. A Bushfire Management Plan accompanied the application.
And again, according to the application, while the campground is set to complement the existing tourism and ecotourism activities on the property, it is designed to be a standalone operation.
The campground would rely on solar power and the water supply is to come from rainwater tanks and an onsite bore.
A traffic impact assessment also accompanies the application.
To accommodate the anticipated increase in guests, Jilrift Pty Ltd has also lodged separate ‘change applications’ to increase the number of people allowed on the property at any one time from 200 to 300.
