Best of both worlds: Alternative plan emerges in wake of car park sale backflip
An artist’s impression of the proposed Howard Street redevelopment at twilight shows a multi-level design delivering both expanded public parking and 84 social housing units, under a model that retains council ownership of the site.
A new proposal aimed at delivering both parking and housing in Nambour’s CBD has emerged in the wake of Sunshine Coast Council’s move away from its plan to sell the Howard and Sydney Street car park.
Council’s earlier proposal to sell the 76-space site to Coast2Bay for social and affordable housing triggered strong community backlash, with business owners and residents warning the loss of central parking would damage the viability of the town centre. The decision was deferred and is now off the table.
As the issue raged, local building design consultant Steve Claridge worked behind the scenes with community leaders, drawing on input from former Division 10 councillor Greg Rogerson, to develop an alternative concept for the site.
The plan uses a “volumetric rights” model which offers a way for Council to contribute the space above the car park to the housing project. It allows council to support social housing without having to sell off the town's actual land. The men say the model would represent a win for housing funding and for Nambour’s future.
Mr Claridge – who is Managing Director of Skeco, a full-service building design consultancy that manages complex projects from design to construction readiness – said the design challenged what he described as a false choice between housing and parking. “We have developed a comprehensive architectural concept that proves the Council’s ‘housing vs. parking’ dilemma is a false choice,” he said.
Under the proposal, the site would be redeveloped to provide 150 public car parks – almost double the current capacity – alongside 84 social housing units.
The concept also includes a total of 233 parking spaces, with 83 allocated to residents, as well as ground-floor retail space and dual-street access from Howard and Sydney Streets to manage traffic flow.
Under the volumetric rights model council would retain ownership of key infrastructure such as parking and retail space, rather than selling the land outright.
“Instead of a simple land sale, we are calling on council to adopt a structure where it retains permanent ownership,” he said. “This model ensures the site remains a self-funding asset.”
Mr Rogerson said he was encouraged by the community’s response and the way it had shaped the discussion. “I was delighted to see the community doing a great job and clearly letting council know where it stood,” he said.
He said the emerging concept reflected a more constructive and balanced way forward. “People have come together and started putting forward ideas about how we can move constructively into the future,” he said. “Maybe this plan will help.”
The proposal comes amid ongoing calls from the community for council to find a solution that supports housing without damaging the long-term accessibility of the CBD.
The concept design for the Howard and Sydney Street site illustrates how the existing 76-space car park could be transformed into a 150-space public facility alongside housing and retail, without selling the land.