Council CEO declares ‘it's Nambour's turn’ as major investments revealed

Sunshine Coast Council's new chief executive officer, John Baker “I'm absolutely convinced that we can attract over and above other areas, inward investment into Nambour and that's what we've got to focus on."

Sunshine Coast Council's new chief executive officer has thrown his support behind Nambour's transformation, declaring the town deserves priority funding despite recent budget cuts that deferred key projects.

John Baker, who has been in the CEO role for nine months, made the declaration at a Nambour Chamber of Commerce meeting Thursday (October 2), telling the packed room: "It's Nambour's turn. It's Nambour's turn to make sure that it gets what it deserves."

And the CEO didn’t mince words about the town’s current streetscape, acknowledging that significant work lay ahead.

"My God, I've walked around town over the last few months in Nambour – it is its turn,” he said. “I genuinely look at Nambour and it is too tired right now for us to be able to attract the sorts of businesses and development that we want, we have to get our act together on that," he said.

The CEO's comments come after one of the most challenging budget processes in council's recent history, which saw several Nambour projects deferred by up to five years due to wider financial sustainability concerns.

“This was probably one of the most difficult budgets that this council has ever faced, certainly in the last 10 years," Mr Baker said, citing the need to address depreciation errors and broader financial sustainability issues.

However, Mr Baker was optimistic about Nambour's future, drawing parallels with his previous experience helping transform industrial towns in the UK near Wolverhampton.

“When I think about Nambour and the journey that it is on at the moment, it has to continue to reinvent itself and build on the investment that it is getting," he said, referring to recently announced major private investment developments highlighted at the meeting.

The CEO also highlighted Nambour's strategic advantages, particularly its transport connections to Brisbane, and questioned why the University of the Sunshine Coast hadn't established student accommodation in the area.

“It is one of the few areas on the Sunshine Coast that has an amazing connection to Brisbane. Why hasn’t the university got accommodation here?” he asked.

Mr Baker announced that council would begin its budget process early this year, starting October 13, with a priority-based approach that could see Nambour projects fast-tracked.

“The whole reason for that is because we've done this priority-based budget exercise with the councillors where they've made some difficult decisions about what those priorities are, where the money needs to go,” he said.

With the 2032 Brisbane Olympics presenting unprecedented investment opportunities and growing developer interest in the area, Mr Baker said Nambour was positioned for a major transformation.

“I'm absolutely convinced that we can attract over and above other areas, inward investment into Nambour and that's what we've got to focus on," he said.

Mr Baker was optimistic about Nambour's future, with projects like Nambour C Square’s redevelopment on the go.