Nambour’s promised CBD revamp remains on the drawing board

How Council envisaged the intersection of Currie, Howard and Mill streets in August 2023. The project is again out to tender. (Image: Sunshine Coast Council)

Nambour’s long-promised CBD streetscape revamp has gone back to market for a second time after missing construction timeframes first floated three years ago, prompting renewed frustration from local business leaders.

Sunshine Coast Council unveiled the Nambour Place Plan in August 2023 as part of a 10-year push to revitalise the town centre. Artist’s impressions show greener streets, wider footpaths, improved crossings, outdoor dining areas, “seating nooks”, landscaping & public art.

At the time, Council said the first stage of works was due to start by the end of 2024. By February 2024 Council was reporting strong community support and saying the project had progressed to detailed design.

The timetable has since repeatedly shifted.

In October 2025 the State Government announced another $2.53 million for the project, taking combined State and Council funding to more than $5 million. Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the funding would accelerate delivery, while Div 10 Cr David Law said work on Mill and Currie streets would start in the first half of 2026.

Council’s own project webpage still carries that first-half-of-2026 construction timetable.

But the first construction tender, ITT2529, closed on June 23 this year. On July 2, Cr Law told a Nambour Chamber gathering Council was assessing the tenders and expected an outcome within four to five weeks.

No construction has followed. Instead, on September 4 Council issued a second tender, ITT264, seeking a contractor for substantially the same Mill and Currie streets streetscaping, roadworks and signalised pedestrian crossing. As at September 30, the project was again still in procurement.

A Council spokesperson said the tender had been reissued after a value engineering review. “Following the initial tender process, Council has undertaken a value engineering review and reissued the tender to ensure the project delivers the best value for ratepayers, while remaining within available funding,” the spokesperson said. 

“Value engineering” is generally a way of trimming a project to fit the budget, which may raise the prospect that Nambour’s revamp will deliver less than what was shown in the original plans. 

Nambour Groups Chair Rhonda Billett, a tireless advocate for Nambour, and the CBD in particular, said she was frustrated that yet another heavily promoted Nambour project had yet to see the light of day.  

“This is a Nambour CBD passion project of mine for 2026, however there have been lots of obstacles thrown at it … including rising costs for the scope of the works to be undertaken as well as lack of professional teams who can carry out the scope of works due to so many other projects on the Coast and throughout southeast Queensland.  Our region is one of the fastest growing regions in Australia currently and we are feeling the effects from that economic environment locally. It’s supply and demand. I have spoken with Cr Law, Mayor Natoli and MP Marty Hunt on the issues, and we will get this done for Nambour, I won’t let it drift to the bottom of the paperwork pile, that is just not an option.  Our private investment is thriving in the Nambour CBD and that calls for all levels of government to step up and deliver for the growing region also, private investors cannot and should not have to do all the heavy lifting.

“The Nambour community consultation period for these place plan projects was undertaken a few years ago now and was done well prior to the Maleny Place Plan works.  The Maleny project, however, now has boots on the ground and work is proceeding, while Nambour’s project remains idle.”

Major streetscaping projects have also been completed at Eudlo, Eumundi and Woombye.

The delay comes against an unusually long history of planning for the town. Council itself acknowledges the Place Plan builds on “a series of planning and visioning documents” produced over the previous decade, including the 2015 Nambour Activation Plan, the 2018 Nambour Hub of the Hinterland report and the Nambour Economic Transition Strategy.

Work on the latest Place Plan included stakeholder workshops from March 2022, community surveys and pop-up sessions, a draft plan in August 2023 and a final plan originally scheduled to be presented by mid-2024.

Cr Law said the project had the backing of the whole town, and now needed to be delivered. “I share the community frustration that this project has not started yet,” he said. “We have the support of the business community as well as the whole Nambour community and just need to get this done.”

State Member for Nicklin Marty Hunt said he had secured more than $2.53 million in State Government funding but delivery of the project was in Council’s hands. 

  “That ($2.53 million) was an important commitment to Nambour and demonstrates the State Government’s confidence in the future of our town centre,” Mr Hunt said.

“The delivery of this project is a Sunshine Coast Council responsibility. The State has provided the funding commitment, and I have remained in contact with Council and asked to be kept informed of progress.

“Like local businesses and the broader Nambour community, I’m keen to see that funding translated into works on the ground as soon as possible.

“The Nambour Place Plan contains some exciting projects that will make a real difference to our CBD. 

“I’ll continue advocating for further State Government investment as those projects progress, but ultimately Council is responsible for the planning, procurement and delivery of its Place Plan projects.

“My focus is on securing every State funding opportunity I can for Nambour, for the benefit of our community.”