{"id":688411,"date":"2026-05-23T00:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T00:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/688411\/"},"modified":"2026-05-23T00:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T00:35:15","slug":"residents-concerned-about-future-of-the-palms-development-in-far-north-queensland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/688411\/","title":{"rendered":"Residents concerned about future of The Palms development in Far North Queensland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Richard Cheong lives next door to what is effectively a $21 million hole in the ground.<\/p>\n

His back gate used to open onto manicured fairways where he played golf four times a week.<\/p>\n

Then the course was scraped bare last year to build a water park and resort within a major real estate development on the northern beaches of Cairns.<\/p>\n

But the proponents axed the water park and resort proposal this month, blaming cost blowouts and the Iran war.<\/p>\n

For Mr Cheong, and those who have bought into the project, the development now looks different from what was originally planned.<\/p>\n

“Now it’s all up in the air; nobody knows what is going to happen,” Mr Cheong said.\u202f<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Civil earthworks, including for a 2,500-square-metre wave pool, started last year on a water park and resort in Cairns. (Supplied: PPNQ Developments)<\/p>\n

Water park part of wider real estate development<\/p>\n

Called The Palms, the project was slated to be one of Far North Queensland’s biggest tourism and real estate developments in recent years.<\/p>\n

Buyers were sought for new housing lots, promising an unparalleled lifestyle in the region’s “most liveable community”.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the developer behind the project, PPNQ Developments, bought the 113-hectare parcel of land, which was home to a championship golf course called Paradise Palms.<\/p>\n

The course helped make Cairns a golfing destination in the 1990s, but PPNQ closed it in 2019, citing low patronage.<\/p>\n

The company unveiled plans to build a $300 million master-planned community in its place, complete with housing, a primary school, restaurant, bar and shops, walking tracks, water park, and more than 360 tourist villas.<\/p>\n

\"Concept<\/p>\n

The water park and resort at The Palms was to have more than 20 slides and 360 tourist villas. (Supplied: PPNQ Developments)<\/p>\n

But PPNQ managing director Darren Halpin announced this month that the company was abandoning the water park and resort component despite having spent $21 million on the project.<\/p>\n

“It’s heartbreaking for all of us,” Mr Halpin said.<\/p>\n

“But at some point, you’ve just got to say enough is enough.”<\/p>\n

Civil earthworks started last year, which included carving a 2,500-square-metre wave pool into the ground.<\/p>\n

But work has now halted, leaving a 20-hectare clearing and two shipping containers full of water slide parts.<\/p>\n

\"Aerial<\/p>\n

Some residents launched legal action against the redevelopment of Paradise Palms but they dropped the court case in 2021. (ABC News: Curtis Rodda)<\/p>\n

Mr Halpin said since war broke out in the Middle East in February, the prices of steel, bitumen and cement had ballooned, increasing the project’s costs by $30 million.<\/p>\n

He said he tried “every possible way” to salvage the project, including downsizing, restaging and bringing in financial partners, but it was no longer viable.<\/p>\n

“[When] you borrow money off the bank, interest keeps on burning whether you’re operating or not,” Mr Halpin said.<\/p>\n

“That’s why they say in development, time kills all deals.”<\/p>\n

It is the latest development in Queensland to stall this year amid financial difficulties, including a proposed $2.6 billion theme park north of Brisbane<\/a> and a $65 million luxury apartment tower project in Townsville.<\/p>\n

‘Not what we expected’ says resident<\/p>\n

With the water park and resort now axed, plans for a commercial hub in the adjoining clubhouse are also on hold while PPNQ decides the fate of the 20-hectare site.<\/p>\n

In 2024, the company also sold off a 24-hectare parcel earmarked for housing and green space to land lease operator Serenitas for a new retirement village, resulting in a 30 per cent reduction in promised walking trails.<\/p>\n

\"Map<\/p>\n

The Palms master plan in 2020 included new housing subdivisions surrounded by green space near a new school, commercial hub, water park and resort. (Supplied: PPNQ Developments)<\/p>\n

A new primary school is still on the cards, although it is not clear when it will be up and running.<\/p>\n

The Catholic Diocese of Cairns said it still hoped to build a school on a 3.8-hectare parcel it bought from PPNQ in 2020, but a timeframe for construction and opening would depend on population growth.<\/p>\n

What has been delivered so far is more than 130 new residential lots, most of them now with homes built, and a new playground and amphitheatre.<\/p>\n

One property owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said she was disappointed at how much the plan had changed in the few years since she had bought a block in The Palms.<\/p>\n

“It now feels like the original vision we bought into is no longer being delivered at all,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"Fencing<\/p>\n

A commercial hub planned for the old Paradise Palms golf course clubhouse is also up in the air. (ABC News: Sharnie Kim)<\/p>\n

“The removal of the water park and resort is especially disappointing because it was promoted as a major tourist attraction that would also bring jobs and growth to the local community.<\/p>\n

“Without it, the suburb is not what we expected when we chose to buy there.”<\/p>\n

Developer considering all options<\/p>\n

Mr Halpin said those who had bought in The Palms still had homes in a “great location” and they would have already made substantial capital gains, with block prices doubling in the past four years.<\/p>\n

He was now considering “all options” to deliver what he could of his vision for The Palms, including finding potential buyers to take over the resort portion of the project.<\/p>\n

But he said it was hard to attract investment to a regional area in the current economic climate.<\/p>\n

\"Street<\/p>\n

Neighbouring residents have mixed views about the prospect of more housing in The Palms development. (ABC News: Sharnie Kim)<\/p>\n

Mr Halpin said more housing on the site was also being considered, which concerned those like Mr Cheong who were worried about potential traffic impacts.<\/p>\n

“If it’s going to be more housing blocks, right now with the congestion, it’s going to be really terrible,” Mr Cheong said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Cecellia Lenoy-Dong, another neighbouring resident, believed more housing could help the Cairns region.<\/p>\n

“I think it’ll be a good thing the way that Cairns is going now and there’s demand for more housing,” she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Richard Cheong lives next door to what is effectively a $21 million hole in the ground. His back…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":688412,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[336153,43,44,336154,336150,336152,336151,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-688411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-darren-halpin","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-paradise-palms","tag-ppnq-developments","tag-reefsedge-resort","tag-the-palms","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=688411"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/688411\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688412"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=688411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=688411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=688411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}