A local hospitality heavyweight is set to reshape the North Lakes central business district with a massive 180-million-dollar five-star hotel and commercial hub designed to give residents a premium lifestyle destination right on their doorstep.
The proposed development aims to bring a luxurious, resort-style atmosphere to a long-vacant local site. Spanning nearly two hectares, the project will feature a nine-storey luxury hotel towering above a vibrant public precinct.
Planners have designed the ground level to serve as a community gathering space, incorporating a leafy central plaza, a large tavern, boutique retail shops, and a swimming pool. The goal is to replicate the bustling, high-end feel of popular urban dining and shopping strips, creating an area where locals can socialise, shop, and relax without leaving their neighbourhood.
The project blends high-end accommodation with practical commercial spaces to boost the local economy. The upper levels of the main building will house 141 five-star hotel rooms and suites, supported by first-floor function spaces and administration offices. Right next door, a separate three-storey mixed-use building will cater to commercial businesses and retail.
To keep up with the expected influx of visitors and workers, the plans outline a massive parking network, including two levels of basement parking for hotel guests and hundreds of additional spaces dedicated to the commercial precinct, alongside dozens of secure bicycle racks.
The development application recently went before the Moreton Bay City Council following an initial project announcement late last year. The developer, a well-known family-owned group based right in the Moreton Bay region, is drawing on decades of local experience for this build.
While the group previously missed out on a tender for the same North Lakes site nearly a decade ago, management noted that the delay allowed them to return with a vastly superior, more mature design. The company has a long history of establishing major local landmarks, with a portfolio that includes the Eatons Hill, Sandstone Point, and Dakabin hotels, as well as an active 50-million-dollar country club build in nearby Strathpine.
Residents in Moreton Bay are set to have their say on a major industrial proposal, as plans for the Narangba Innovation Precinct move closer to public consultation.
The City of Moreton Bay is preparing a planning scheme amendment that would support new industrial activity within the precinct, with residents expected to be invited to provide feedback once consultation formally opens.
At this stage, no consultation dates have been announced, with Council still working through the next steps before the community is asked to have its say.
What needs to change
The proposed amendment focuses on a designated area within the existing Narangba Innovation Precinct, aiming to enable around 600 new “special industry” jobs. These industries typically include higher-impact operations such as chemical manufacturing, waste processing and other large-scale industrial activities that require strict regulation.
Photo Credit: Information Sheet/Narangba Innovation Precinct
Council says the changes could also contribute an estimated $129 million to the local economy while supporting employment closer to home for residents.
Mayor Peter Flannery said the proposal would help meet the needs of a growing population while making better use of existing industrial land.
“It’s important that our residents have opportunities to work close to home for lifestyle and affordability factors,” he said in a statement.
The precinct is already an established industrial area and that expanding its use for specialised industries would strengthen investment and job opportunities in the region.
Photo Credit: Information Sheet/Narangba Innovation Precinct
Health and environmental safeguards
Alongside economic benefits, the proposal includes measures aimed at protecting nearby communities.
Planning documents indicate that industries operating in the precinct would need to meet strict standards around air quality, noise, human health and safety risks, particularly for surrounding residential areas. Extensive environmental health investigations carried out between 2020 and 2024 have informed the proposal, focusing on potential impacts such as emissions, noise and hazardous materials.
These safeguards are intended to balance industrial growth with the safety and amenity of nearby neighbourhoods.
Temporary planning controls to remain in place
In the meantime, Council has proposed extending the current Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) for a further 12 months.
The TLPI, which is due to expire in July 2026, sets interim rules for development in the area while a long-term planning solution is finalised.
Council will now prepare a report outlining the next steps in the formal planning scheme amendment process. This will include a statutory public consultation period, where residents and stakeholders will be able to review the proposal and provide feedback before any final decision is made.
North Lakes was built around its golf course. For years, families bought homes with the promise of green fairways, shaded walking paths and the sense that open space would remain at the heart of their community. But with the course closed since 2019 and development proposals returning one after another, residents now find themselves facing a new question: will their suburb be reshaped once again, this time by a commercial driving range?
In June 2025, JH Northlakes lodged a development application (DA/2025/3488) for a large-scale driving range on land adjoining Bridgeport Drive, with The Village Retirement Group listed as the client on architectural drawings. Council records list the wider site address as 133 Copeland Drive, the former golf club.
The proposal is ambitious. Plans show a two-level building with either 60 or 68 bays for golfers to practise their swing, flanked by a pro shop, bar, restaurant, and conference facilities. Out in the open, a chip-and-putt practice area and target greens would stretch across what used to be manicured fairways. Tall safety nets, marked on plans up to RL +51,000, would rise above nearby tree lines to contain stray balls.
Access would come from a new driveway onto Bridgeport Drive. The project also includes 141 car parking spaces, bicycle storage and staff facilities, covering a footprint of more than 5,200 square metres. In effect, the complex would transform a patch of former fairway into a hybrid: part sports facility, part hospitality venue, part events centre.
The developer has backed the application with a suite of technical reports aimed at addressing community concerns.
Report
Prepared By / Date
Key Findings
Mitigation / Recommendations
Acoustic Report
Decibell, July 2025
Noise modelling based on Victoria Park Driving Range. Operations proposed 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. seven days. Potential impacts on residences east of site but within limits of Environmental Protection Policy (Noise) 2019.
Acoustic barriers, building treatments, limit on amplified music at night.
Traffic Impact Assessment
Colliers, May–July 2025
68 driving range bays (two levels) + chip-and-putt. 141 car spaces. Driveway access via Bridgeport Drive. Forecast traffic in 2027 and 2037 manageable; no major intersection upgrades required.
Provide adequate on-site parking, maintain pedestrian and cycle connections, monitor traffic at Discovery Dr/Bridgeport Dr roundabout.
Ecological Assessment Report
Saunders Havill Group, July 2025
Site highly modified from former golf course. No remnant vegetation cleared. Historical koala sightings (2018) and indirect evidence in 2025. Eleven fauna species recorded (mostly urban species).
Site assessed as low to moderate bushfire risk due to modified golf course environment.
Vegetation management, buffer zones, and construction standards consistent with Queensland bushfire guidelines.
Civil Engineering Plans
Bligh Tanner, 2025
Covers drainage, erosion control, retaining walls, and contaminated soil management. Notes nearby koala habitat requiring protection during works.
Erosion and sediment control measures, stormwater drainage design, habitat protection protocols.
A suburb that remembers
For residents, these reports may sound familiar. In 2023, the community was caught up in another battle when plans for aged-care and retirement housing were put forward on the same land. That application was eventually withdrawn after thousands of objections and a council officer’s recommendation to refuse.
Campaigners under the banner of Save North Lakes Golf Course say the new proposal is yet another example of piecemeal development, when the suburb was promised something else entirely. They point to the Mango Hill Infrastructure Development Control Plan, which emphasised a connected and integrated system of open space. They argue that a driving range, however modern, does not meet that test.
The group has already reported thousands of objections lodged with Council and continues to call for more residents to act. Their message is clear: North Lakes was never meant to be carved into individual projects.
Between recreation and recreation business
Not all locals see the proposal the same way. For some, the idea of golf returning to North Lakes—even in a different form—is welcome. With the original 18-hole course gone, they see potential for families, social groups and younger players to enjoy the sport in a more casual and accessible format. Industry outlets have also framed the development as a chance to reintroduce golf in a way that suits modern lifestyles, where people may not have time for a full round but want the option of a quick practice session.
Yet scepticism remains strong. Residents worry about the impact of a commercial-style venue operating late into the night, with lights, noise and car traffic spilling into surrounding streets. They also question whether the development’s function rooms and bar suggest a primary focus on events and entertainment rather than sport.
Whatever the outcome, the debate cuts deeper than just golf. It explores identity, trust, and the evolution of suburbs long after the brochures are printed and homes are sold.
Every morning in Narangba starts the same way for Haley Riches: packing school bags, loading the car, and hoping she won’t hit the rail crossing at the wrong time. But more often than not, she does. Like many locals, she finds herself stuck behind the boom gates, watching train after train pass, while the clock ticks and kids grow restless in the back seat. It’s not unusual for the wait to stretch past 10 minutes. Some days, it happens four times.
“It’s not uncommon to sit waiting for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, just to cross the train line. Multiply that by four trips a day, and it adds up to hours every week lost in our cars,” the mum said.
For Haley—and for hundreds of other families, workers and commuters in this growing Moreton Bay suburb—the crossing at Main Street and Mumford Road, and the nearby one at Burpengary Road and Mackie Road, has become more than just a delay. It’s a daily frustration, and some say, a looming safety hazard.
From Frustration to Action
It was after yet another long wait and another close call at the intersection that Haley decided to do something. In early 2025, she launched a petition asking officials to take action. The request was simple: find a safer, more efficient way for traffic to cross the railway line—whether through an overpass, underpass, or upgraded crossing system.
The response from the community was swift. Signatures started to pour in, and stories from other residents echoed her concerns. Parents juggling school drop-offs, workers trying to get to jobs on time, and visitors who dreaded the delays all backed the cause.
“I’m not an engineer,” Haley said. “But I know this isn’t working—and it hasn’t been for years.”
Photo Credit: Google Maps
A Growing Town, a Growing Problem
New housing estates in Narangba Heights and Kinma Valley are set to add more than 3,000 homes to the area. That’s thousands of new cars, more school traffic, and more pressure on the same old crossings. Moreton Bay has already secured $10.1 million in funding to upgrade the Young Road and Oakey Flat Road intersection, just west of the rail line. That work is due to start later in 2025.
But Haley said the real pressure point remains the crossings—and the people who are stuck at them every single day. In the past, plans for an overpass were reportedly dropped after locals pushed back, but community attitudes may now be shifting.
“The roads are way busier than they were back then,” said one resident on social media. “It’s not just a delay anymore. It’s a risk.”
Taking the Fight to Officials
Her petition quickly gathered traction, leading to a face-to-face meeting with MP Shane King. For nearly two hours, they discussed the rail line, the nearby roads, and how the town’s rapid growth was putting more pressure on old infrastructure.
King said he would take the petition to Parliament and explore state funding options. He also committed to following up on reports that heavy quarry trucks were using Narangba Road illegally, crossing the train lines and adding to congestion. Cr Mark Booth voiced his support too, and Haley is now preparing for meetings with local council representatives, including Acting Cr Tony Latter, to keep the issue moving.
Photo Credit: Google Maps
Data, Evidence and Determination
Haley is now collecting dashcam footage and police reports to show just how serious the problem has become. In one rainy week this July, there were already two crashes near the crossing. She’s also had to pay for extra childcare so she can attend meetings—just one of many small sacrifices she’s making to keep the issue on the agenda.
While not everyone agrees on what the fix should be, there is broad support for the idea that something needs to happen soon. Some locals have suggested extending nearby roads or widening key routes. Others point out that with train frequency set to increase thanks to the Cross River Rail project, the delays will only worsen if nothing is done.
Haley said she understands any major upgrade will take years, but believes that’s even more reason to start now.
With another round of meetings coming up in early August, Haley hopes to reach at least 3,000 signatures—and maybe more. She said the goal isn’t to push blame or demand the impossible. It’s simply to make sure her town doesn’t get left behind.
“Narangba is growing, and it deserves better,” she said. “I just want to make it safer, and easier, for all of us to get where we need to go.”
