Key Sunshine Coast Council vote on CBD land

The car park on the corner Howard and Sydney Streets, looking from Sydney Street.

A  plan to deliver affordable housing in the heart of Nambour will come to a head this week, with Sunshine Coast councillors set to vote on the sale of a council-owned CBD car park to a community housing provider.

At the Thursday March 26 ordinary meeting, councillors will consider a recommendation to sell the 46–62 Howard Street site to Coast2Bay Housing Group Limited to enable the delivery of social and affordable homes.

The proposal is tied to council’s Housing and Homelessness Action Plan and comes as pressure mounts locally to address housing stress and visible homelessness in Nambour.

Under the plan, council would apply an exception under the Local Government Regulation 2012 to allow the land to be sold directly to Coast2Bay, rather than through a tender or auction process. The sale must still meet market value, based on an independent valuation.

The 2627sqm site has been the subject of multiple affordable housing proposals since 2008, with earlier plans failing to proceed due to funding constraints.

Council officers say transferring ownership to Coast2Bay would put the project in a stronger position to secure state funding and move forward.

Previous designs for the site included up to 65 units, with a mix of one and two-bedroom dwellings. While the final design may change, the project is expected to prioritise affordable housing for low and moderate income households, including key workers and single-parent families, alongside a portion of social housing.

Priority is expected to be given to people with existing ties to the Nambour area.

The development could also provide a pathway for residents in crisis or transitional housing to move into longer-term accommodation, including women escaping domestic and family violence and older women at risk of homelessness.

Council and Coast2Bay have worked together on potential housing outcomes for the site for more than a decade, with a memorandum of understanding in place to support delivery.

No formal community consultation has been undertaken on the proposed sale, and news of the sale has sparked a community petition seeking transparency (see story page 3).

If councillors approve the recommendation, the chief executive officer will be authorised to finalise the sale, with the contract price to be released publicly once the transaction is completed. People opposed to the sale were contacting councillors yesterday.

Petition calls for pause on CBD car park sale

A community petition has been launched urging Sunshine Coast Council to halt plans to sell the Howard Street car park until proper consultation and impact assessments are carried out.

Nambour resident and disability advocate Sarah Vortman has started the petition, arguing the community has been given just days to respond to a proposal that has been in discussion for years.

“This isn’t about opposing affordable housing – the need for it is clear. But decisions about community-owned land should be made with the community, not without them. We’re asking Council to pause, consult properly, and ensure accessibility and local impacts are fully considered before any sale proceeds,” Ms Vortman said.

The petition calls on council to undertake an accessibility impact assessment, ensure replacement parking, assess environmental impacts and consider the effect on local businesses before any decision proceeds.

It also calls for “genuine community consultation on the loss of this public asset”.

The move comes as councillors prepare to decide whether to sell the centrally located car park at 46–62 Howard Street to Coast2Bay Housing Group for affordable and social housing.

Petition organisers say the site plays a vital role in the functioning of the town centre.

“For people with disability, chronic health conditions, or reduced mobility, it plays a critical role in enabling access to local services in town,” the petition states.

“Local businesses in the area also rely on it for customer access, and its loss is likely to impact foot traffic and viability for small businesses nearby.”

Concerns have also been raised about the environmental value of the site, including mature trees and wildlife habitat.

The petition points to council’s own report, which confirms no formal community consultation had been undertaken and identifies “no foreseen risks”, with no detailed assessment of accessibility, parking or business impacts.

Nambour Now Chair Helen Tagg said: “To be clear, this is not on Coast2Bay. They are doing important work. We need more housing, absolutely no question. But the process undertaken by council does matter. Decisions like this should be transparent, properly planned, and involve the community from the start.

“When you remove the community from decisions, you risk worse outcomes and leave people feeling shut out and disrespected.”

To sign the petition go to www.change.org/p/save-howard-street-car-park-nambour-deserves-better