A 6.82-hectare site that was earmarked for a major agritourism venture is up for sale, after the developers made the decision to focus on other projects.
Sunshine Coast Council granted development approval in May 2022 to Barns Lane Farm, which was set to become one of the largest tourist destinations in the region.
Spearheaded by developers, founders and directors Jonathan Leishman and Helen and Jason Grant, the venture at Coolum would have included a brewery and distillery, restaurant, entertainment stage and venue, produce hall, farm animals and playground.
Subsequent stages would have added 11 light industrial sheds for food and primary production activities, three hectares of orchards and growing beds, farm tours, aquaculture ponds, a 26-room boutique hotel and a 150-seat function venue.
In a statement, the company behind the Barns Lane Farm project said the coveted site complete would be sold with the development approval in place.
“Having acquired the Coolum site in 2021 and sharing its vision for the site’s potential, the developer’s long list of other South-East Queensland projects means that a decision has been made to seek a new owner,” it said.
The land, which was once earmarked for a Bunnings store, flanks the Sunshine Motorway at the entrance to Coolum, only two kilometres from the beach.
The development had already faced setbacks, with the Barns Lane Farm August newsletter to supporters lamented that the significant rise in construction prices in recent times, coupled with increasing costs of financing, had necessitated a pushback on the initial late-2023 opening of Stage 1.
Mr Grant told Sunshine Coast News in August that work was still progressing well and a launch was earmarked for late 2024.
“We are starting early works on site as the lead-in to permanent works,” he said at the time.
“We expected to be well into delivery by now. But there was just some things that we had to go back and readdress. We have found our way through that.”
The site is being sold by JLL Brisbane via expressions of interest closing on March 27.
The asking price is undisclosed but a high level of local and international interest is expected.
Inquiries can be directed to Liam Petersen of JLL, who is managing the sale process.
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