‘Ripped off, cheated, angry’: Venue owner demands more SEP answers
Cherry and Rusty Nyman, owners of the Presynct.
by Cameron Outridge
Local venue owner Rusty Nyman has issued a robust rebuttal to Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli’s assurances about council support for Nambour’s Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) amid a struggling night-time economy.
Miss Nyman, who co-owns The Presynct Venue & Bar with her daughter Cherry, says the much-vaunted SEP has become “a hollow title” and said council were misleading investors and the community.
The venue owner’s blast follows a written response from the mayor to her plea for urgent action to keep the SEP viable.
In her email to the mayor, Miss Nyman outlined the challenges facing Nambour’s live music scene – from crippling material change of use fees and a lack of late-night transport to escalating street-level safety issues.
She warned that without meaningful intervention, the precinct would fail to deliver on the promise made when council declared Nambour an SEP back in 2020.
In her response, Mayor Natoli highlighting a range of council initiatives including the long-term Nambour Centre Activation Project (NCAP), planning scheme amendments and a proposed trial of late-night transport funded through council’s Transport Levy.
But Miss Nyman rejected much of the explanation, accusing council of using “tokenism” rather than real delivery.
She said council’s claims of progress did not match the reality faced by business operators on the ground.
“After five years, the Nambour SEP remains a hollow title,” Miss Nyman wrote.
“Incentives have lapsed, core projects have been deferred, transport is undelivered, and public safety is deteriorating. Meanwhile, Maroochydore continues to receive the investment, infrastructure, and services that make a night-time economy possible.”
NCAP delays
Her email challenged several key points, starting with the NCAP. While the mayor’s letter described stage one of construction as “scheduled to start soon”, Miss Nyman said public records showed that the centrepiece library and administration building redevelopment had been deferred for at least six years under the 2025–26 budget. She demanded clarity on which projects were actually funded to begin soon.
The letter also mentioned business concessions available in the SEP but Miss Nyman said council’s references to “discounted fees” and “reduced infrastructure charges” were misleading, with most incentive programs having expired earlier this year.
Late-night transport
Late-night transport was another flashpoint. While the mayor’s email spoke of a regional trial to launch by late 2025, Miss Nyman claimed no such trial appeared in council’s published budget and that council officers had only discussed a small loop service around Nambour and Burnside – a model she said would do nothing for the 90% of her patrons who live outside the town.
“Running a small local loop will not help them get home safely after midnight,” she wrote. “When I suggested practical regional drop-off points like surf clubs where taxis and rideshare are accessible, a council staff member dismissively replied, ‘Oh, so you don’t want the bus then?’ This is not consultation; it is tokenism.”
Public safety ‘rhetoric’
Ms Nyman also pressed council for specific evidence on proposed planning scheme changes and concrete actions to improve public safety, saying council offered rhetoric instead of measurable outcomes.
The exchange highlighted the widening gap between the vision that launched the SEP five years ago and the reality facing would-be operators today.
With The Presynct still the only new live music venue to open under the program, Miss Nyman says the burden of revitalising Nambour has been left to one business – while council’s promises remain undelivered.
“Nambour deserves honesty, transparency, and real action – not more delays and hollow commitments,” she said.
“We invested because we believed in the vision. Now we’re fighting to hold the fort alone.”
The SEP was introduced under a previous council, before Mayor Natoli’s election in 2024, and her response appears to draw on information provided by council officers. Council was contacted for comment.
See the full email exchange below:
EMAIL EXCHANGE: Rusty Nyman’s email to Mayor …
Dear Mayor Natoli,
My name is Rusty Joanna Nyman, I own The Presynct Venue & Bar in Nambour with my daughter, Cherry Nyman.
We are writing to you out of deep concern and frustration as business owners who believed in Council's vision.
In 2020, Council declared Nambour a Special Entertainment Precinct. That announcement gave people like us the confidence to invest heavily in building the first dedicated live music venue here. We believed in Council’s vision — that Nambour would be transformed into a thriving hub for music, culture, and nightlife.
Five years later, nothing has been delivered to make that vision a reality. Our business, along with this community, has been left stranded.
No late-night transport: After 10pm, there is no way for patrons to safely travel to or from Nambour. This one failure alone cripples any chance of a functioning night-time economy. More than 80% of our current patrons do not live in Nambour and they are struggling to get in and out to support live music at our venue. People want to come, they want to spend money, but Council’s neglect has made it nearly impossible. Every weekend this means lost revenue for our venue and lost economic activity for Nambour itself.
Barriers to investment: Instead of encouraging growth, Council burdens potential operators with huge material change of use fees, leaving empty buildings to rot instead of being transformed into venues, bars, and restaurants.
Public safety ignored: The escalating drug use, crime, and homelessness in the town centre make locals and visitors feel unsafe — a direct threat to businesses that are trying to bring life and culture back into Nambour. Some patrons have told us directly that they will not visit our venue anymore due to the recent escalated issues of unsafe, violent people living on the streets in town.
Meanwhile, Maroochydore continues to receive the lion’s share of attention and investment. Council itself moved there, businesses are choosing to go there, and patrons prefer it because they have choice — restaurants, bars, and venues working together to create a real entertainment ecosystem. In contrast, Nambour is left with empty promises and token gestures.
Council must answer this: What was the real intention behind declaring Nambour the Special Entertainment Precinct if the necessary support was not forthcoming? Why wasn’t Maroochydore made the precinct, when it already had the infrastructure and momentum? If that had been the case, we would have invested there instead of being misled into pouring time, money, and energy into a town you have neglected.
A Special Entertainment Precinct is meant to be a place where live music can thrive — where venues are protected from noise complaints and not strangled by liquor licensing restrictions. That’s why we chose Nambour. Yet after two years of operating our venue, we remain the only one. This is not an entertainment precinct. It is a hollow title.
Council has misled investors, misled the community, and cost local businesses dearly. Our venue cannot grow in isolation. We need surrounding venues, restaurants, and bars to create a destination worth visiting. That was the promise. That was the vision. And Council has failed to deliver.
We feel ripped off. We feel cheated. We feel angry.
The community deserves better.
We urge Council to take urgent action — fix the transport issue, reduce punitive development fees, address public safety, and actually support the growth of venues. Without this, the Special Entertainment Precinct will remain a hollow title, rather than the thriving cultural hub we were promised.
Sincerely, Rusty & Cherry Nyman, Owners of The Presynct Venue & Bar
Reply from the Mayor:
Subject: RE: Urgent: Broken promises in Nambour's Special Entertainment Precinct
Dear Rusty and Cherry,
Thank you for your email. I understand you have established the The Presynct Venue & Bar in Nambour and appreciate your concerns about the relative lack of other live music venues and activity within the Nambour Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP).
As you note, part of the Nambour Town Centre was designated a SEP in 2020, an initiative by Council to support live music and boost Nambour’s night-time economy. The designation provides greater certainty for live music venues around operating locations and noise levels, while also protecting nearby residential areas. It involved amendments to the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 and Council’s local laws.
Council continues to support Nambour as an emerging entertainment and live music destination through initiatives such as:
The Nambour Centre Activation Project (NCAP)
The NCAP, which includes the Nambour (Namba) Place Revitalisation Project, is a long-term concept and implementation plan to guide the town centre’s renewal over the next 10 to 15 years. Stage one of construction is scheduled to start soon, focusing on streetscape upgrades and public spaces to make the centre more vibrant and welcoming. The plan aims to attract investment, improve liveability, and celebrate Nambour’s identity as the “heart of the hinterland”. For further details on the NCAP, visit Council’s website: Nambour centre activation project | Sunshine Coast Council
Special concessions for businesses and development applications within the SEP
Concessions include:
• reduced or waived fees for events and operating a business on public land within the SEP
• discounted development application fees for theatres, bars, nightclubs or hotel traders to establish within the SEP and
• reduced Council infrastructure charges for eligible development.
Refer to Council’s website for further information: Nambour special entertainment precinct (SEP) | Sunshine Coast Council
Council’s Economic Development team also offers businesses support in relation to development opportunities.
Proposed changes to the current planning scheme
As you may be aware, Council is preparing a new planning scheme. The proposed planning scheme maintains the Nambour SEP designation and seeks to support redevelopment and activation of the Nambour Town Centre, including through:
• proposed increases in maximum building height in the town centre to help encourage new development and investment, recognising Nambour’s important role as a major activity centre in our region and
• a review of the level of assessment and parking requirements for changes of use within existing buildings for bars and food and drink outlets involving amplified music.
It is important to note that, while Council can provide the land use planning framework to help enable redevelopment in Nambour (including through the planning scheme and SEP designation), Council cannot make development happen on the ground.
If you have not done so already, I would encourage you to explore the proposed planning scheme on Council’s Have your Say website and make a submission on or before Friday, 19 September 2025. Notwithstanding that a properly made submission for the proposed planning scheme consultation must be received by this date, any feedback you provide after this date will be considered by Council as appropriate.
Late-Night Transport
Council recognises that reliable late-night transport is an important element to supporting the success of the Nambour SEP and the businesses operating within it.
Public transport services are provided by the Queensland Government through Translink, and it is acknowledged that current services are very limited for Nambour after 10pm. We are also aware of the ongoing difficulty in attracting taxis and rideshare operators to service late-night patrons, which compounds the challenge for businesses and visitors.
In response to these concerns, Council has been working closely with late-night operators, including The Presynct, the Nambour Chamber of Commerce, and the Department of Transport and Main Roads, to design a trial late-night transport service specifically for the Nambour SEP on Friday and Saturday nights. The proposed trial aims to:
• test the level of demand for late-night transport
• identify the most practical and cost-effective operating model
• assess the long-term financial viability of regular late-night services and
• confirm the commitment of late-night businesses to supporting and promoting the service.
Council has allocated funding in the 2025–26 Transport Levy to make this trial possible. Work is already underway on the necessary legal, procurement, and contractual requirements. Subject to receiving viable proposals from providers, the goal is to launch a six-month trial in late 2025. This timeline is contingent on the procurement process and provider readiness, but we are committed to progressing as quickly as possible.
We understand the importance of this issue and will continue to work with local businesses and State Government partners to advocate for better transport solutions that support a safe and vibrant night-time economy in Nambour.
Public safety
Council continues to work with the Queensland Police Service and other government agencies and community organisations in relation to addressing public safety in Nambour. Council’s initiatives to improve the activation of Nambour are also aimed at improving safety.
Maroochydore as an entertainment district
Council is committed to supporting a vibrant day time and nighttime economy in major centres and tourist areas across our region, whilst also protecting residential amenity.
Maroochydore is the region’s principal activity centre. As such, it will continue to attract significant business and infrastructure investment (including planned public transport). The current and proposed planning schemes support Maroochydore as the Sunshine Coast’s highest order centre - a vibrant, mixed-use area offering the broadest range of retail, commercial, entertainment, dining, community, government, and multi-unit residential uses, with an active daytime and nighttime economy.
Nambour is the largest hinterland town in the region, with a rich heritage and unique character. Council is committed to working with the community to support its revitalisation, including a vibrant live music scene.
Thank you again for your contribution and support for the live music industry in Nambour.
Regards, Mayor Rosanna Natoli, Sunshine Coast Council
Rusty Nyman’s response to Mayor
Dear Mayor Natoli,
Thank you for your response. After reviewing your email closely, I must raise serious concerns about a number of inaccuracies and omissions. As the business owners of the only live music venue in the Nambour Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP), we are deeply disappointed at the ongoing neglect of Nambour and the lack of delivery on Council’s promises.
1. NCAP “Stage One of construction”
You stated that stage one of the Nambour Centre Activation Project (NCAP) is “scheduled to start soon.” The public record shows otherwise. While minor streetscape works may be progressing, the long-promised redevelopment of the library and administration buildings – the centrepiece of Nambour’s revitalisation – has been deferred for at least six years under the 2025–26 budget.
Please clarify: What exactly constitutes “stage one”? Which NCAP projects are actually funded to commence in 2025, and which have been deferred? Please provide the relevant Council resolution and budget line items.
2. Business concessions and incentives
You described ongoing “discounted fees” and “reduced infrastructure charges” for businesses in the SEP. This is misleading.
The Infill Development Incentives Policy (including reduced infrastructure charges) ended 30 June 2025 for new applications.
The much-publicised 50% discount on development application fees for bars, theatres, and nightclubs in the SEP was a time-limited 12-month concession from 2022, which has also expired.
Please confirm: Which concessions are currently active for new operators in Nambour as at September 2025? Please provide the Council resolution or policy extension that authorises their continuation beyond June 2025.
3. Late-night transport
Your email claims that Council has “allocated funding in the 2025–26 Transport Levy” for a late-night transport trial in Nambour beginning “late 2025.” Yet no such trial appears in the published budget or levy program, and the only advertised trial relates to Maroochydore’s Ocean Street precinct.
Separately, Council staff have spoken to us directly about a proposed trial bus circulating only within Nambour and Burnside. To my knowledge, this has never been publicly announced, nor have the details been shared with local operators. I must stress that this model fails to address the actual transport barrier: 90% of our patrons do not live in Nambour or Burnside. Running a small local loop will not help them get home safely after midnight.
I personally suggested well-known regional drop-off points in suburbs where our patrons live – for example, outside Coolum Surf Club and other obvious hubs where taxis and rideshare are accessible. Instead of engaging with these practical ideas, a Council staff member dismissively replied to me, “Oh, so you don’t want the bus then?” This is not consultation; it is tokenism.
Please provide:
The specific Transport Levy 2025–26 budget line or Council resolution that confirms funding and timing for a Nambour SEP late-night trial.
The full design, scope, and intended catchment area of the proposed bus service, and whether patron and business input will actually shape its routes.
4. Planning scheme changes
You refer to proposed increases in maximum building heights in Nambour’s town centre and changes to parking/assessment rules for bars and amplified-music venues. The draft planning scheme consultation is live, but your email does not identify the relevant clauses.
Please indicate: The exact sections or information sheets in the proposed planning scheme that make these changes, so that we and other stakeholders can meaningfully respond before submissions close on 19 September 2025.
5. Public safety
You note that Council “works with QPS and others” and that “activation improves safety.” In reality, Nambour’s main street continues to experience escalating crime, drug use, and homelessness. Patrons tell us directly they will not return because they feel unsafe. Simply pointing to “activation” is inadequate.
Please advise: What measurable safety initiatives or additional resources has Council actually delivered in Nambour since 2020 to address these issues?
Our Position:
After five years, the Nambour SEP remains a hollow title. Incentives have lapsed, core projects have been deferred, transport is undelivered, and public safety is deteriorating. Meanwhile, Maroochydore continues to receive the investment, infrastructure, and services that make a night-time economy possible.
As the owners of the only live music venue in the SEP – operating at great personal and financial cost – we are left carrying the burden of Council’s unfulfilled promises. We urge you to provide the requested documents and evidence above, so the community can see clearly what has been delivered, what has been deferred, and what remains little more than rhetoric.
Nambour deserves honesty, transparency, and real action – not more delays and hollow commitments.
– Rusty & Cherry Nyman, Owners, The Presynct Venue & Bar