Noosa Developers Sued Over Alleged Bushland Clearing

Noosa Shire Council has initiated legal proceedings against developers Heidi Meyer and Kim Carroll, accusing them of illegally clearing native bushland. The couple allegedly removed vegetation on a $25 million Noosa Hill lot between October 2024 and October 2025, without necessary development permits, between November 2021 and June 2022. This action was reportedly taken to prepare the site for a lavish seaside mega-mansion.

The council lodged its application in the Maroochydore Planning and Environment Court just before Christmas, demanding the couple restore the land to its previous condition. An ecologist's affidavit highlighted that the cleared trees were crucial habitat for threatened species like koalas and glossy black-cockatoos. The council further alleges that the developers failed to re-vegetate the land as agreed in October 2024, as part of a prior court order.

Meyer and Carroll purchased the 1,144sqm lot for $16.45 million in October 2021 and later subdivided it, listing one of the 723sqm blocks for $25 million. While they received approval to demolish an existing house in January 2025, the council asserts this did not include permission to fell trees. The case is scheduled for court on January 30, with a potential fine of $751,000 hanging over the developers.