COUNCIL has given preliminary approval for a 61-unit health and wellness retreat on rural land in southern Redland Bay.
The two and three-bedroom units are spread over 19 buildings which are planned for a 15 hectare block on Rocky Passage Road.
The development has a main building with recreational and dining areas, a swimming pool, water features and pond.
It proposes 77 car parks and space for bus parking.
The developer's planner Steve Crow said the resort to be called Soulitude would attract domestic and overseas tourists who would stay for five to 14 days.
Mr Crow said the developers forecast an average of 100 people a day at the resort. There would be 30 full-time staff members.
The land has about a 20 metre frontage to the Logan River.
Cr Lance Hewlett said the Redlands needed accommodation for tourists and Cr Peter Mitchell said the development was a great opportunity for the city.
Cr Julie Talty said she was pleased that a developer wanted to invest in the city.
"I hope it's very successful and a national tourism drawcard in the long run," Cr Talty said.
A council report said submissions about the development had raised concerns about the loss of privacy and amenity for neighbours, the development being at an excessive and incongruous scale, traffic and noise.
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However, officers said the proposal had demonstrated that the development was low-key eco-tourism, vegetation and landscaping would screen proposed buildings from neighbours, the number of vehicle movements was less than the road capacity and noise-generating activities would likely happen in the main building which was a fair distance from neighbouring properties.
Council agreed that non-juvenile koala trees must be retained and protected and visitors must be made aware of land boundaries to avoid going onto neighbouring properties.
The council report said that an economic need assessment submitted by the developers found that Chinese visitors were driving growth in tourism in south-east Queensland between 2007 and 2017.
A total of 85 per cent of Chinese visitors to south-east Queensland stayed in hotels, motels and serviced apartments.
There was a lack of high-quality accommodation supply in the Redlands and Carbrook and no four or five-star hotels.
The assessment estimated a demand for 670 rooms in hotels, motels and serviced apartments in the Redlands and Carbrook. This would increase to 812 rooms by 2026-27.
There were 300 hotel, motel and serviced apartments in the same area, putting the gap at 370 rooms in 2018.
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