Call to halt car park sale at next council meeting
Nambour Now representative and former Maroochydore Shire Deputy Mayor Trevor Thompson.
A former Maroochy Shire deputy mayor says Sunshine Coast councillors have the power to stop the proposed sale of the Howard Street car park site at their next meeting – if they are willing to act.
Nambour Now representative Trevor Thompson said there were two clear pathways available to elected members to halt the process and “nip the issue in the bud”.
“The mayor can actually move a Mayoral Minute, which is the first item on the next meeting, to rescind all previous approvals to sell the land and to not proceed with the sale,” Mr Thompson said.
“The other way is Div 10 Cr David Law can move a notice of motion and the same thing happens.”
Mr Thompson said the matter should be taken out of administrative hands and dealt with directly by councillors.
“We need to take it out of the bureaucrats’ hands … now it’s time for the politicians to stand up and show some leadership,” he said.
Mr Thompson said acting swiftly could help council rebuild trust in Nambour following strong community backlash to the proposed sale.
“If council want to win back a few brownie points in Nambour, that’s one way it could happen,” he said.
The proposal to sell the council-owned site for housing has sparked widespread concern among business owners and residents, particularly around access and the future viability of the CBD.
Mr Thompson said councillors across the region were aware of the level of community feeling and should respond accordingly.
“I’ve been ringing around quite a few. I’ve spoken to quite a few and they have to realise that when they get voted in, the oath is for the shire first, followed by their division,” he said.
“They’re councillors for the Sunshine Coast first. Just because they don’t represent a particular division doesn’t mean they can ignore community feedback.”
He also questioned the rationale for selling the site, noting it had been funded over time through developer contributions intended to specifically support parking infrastructure.
“This car park’s already paid for in contributions from developers,” he said.
“And now they’re going to sell it and take the money and put it into consolidated revenue, where it would be virtually lost to Nambour.”
• The next Sunshine Coast Council ordinary meeting is scheduled for April 23 at 9am at City Hall. The car park sale decision was deferred to the May 21 meeting after widespread community blowback. The CEO is due to meet with Nambour Groups tomorrow (April 15) to discuss the proposed sale. Readers can view and sign a Nambour Now petition opposing the sale via https://c.org/BbTtMCWyYN
About 100 people gathered yesterday (April 13) for the community photo opposing the car park sale.