The state government will decide whether to approve a 150-hectare festival site on the Sunshine Coast, after the proposal was “called in” by Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie.
The move means the proposal by the Comiskey Group to develop Australia’s largest outdoor event site at Coochin Creek will no longer be assessed by Sunshine Coast Council, and cannot be appealed in the Planning and Environment Court.
Known as Coochin Fields, the festival site – located about 6km east of the Bruce Highway – would be able to host six events annually with a maximum of 35,000 patrons per day.
A proposed call-in notice for the project was issued on May 16, prompting criticism from a coalition of community groups who said the powers were only for exceptional circumstances, not to override transparent due process.
Written representations were open until June 16, with 29 submissions received during that period.
But a notice dated July 9 and signed by Mr Bleijie states “I am calling in to assess and decide a development application by Coochin Creek Property Pty Ltd, with respect to premises located at Roys Road”.
It is the second Comiskey Group proposal at Coochin Creek the state will assess, after a call-in notice was issued last month regarding plans for a 150-site tourist park on 43 hectares to the east of the festival site.
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Sunshine Coast Council CEO John Baker wrote to Mr Bleijie on June 10 outlining concerns about the proposed Coochin Fields call-in.
“Sunshine Coast Council is an advocate of the tourism industry and has extensive experience in assessing large-scale tourism activities including Australia Zoo, the Big Pineapple (which includes a major music festival component), Aussie World, Glenview (Actventure Water Park) and the surf park at Johnston Road, Glass House Mountains (Surf Farm),” it says.
“The matters of most concern to council are those that go to the heart of whether or not the subject site at Coochin Creek is a suitable location on the Sunshine Coast for developing a major music festival and events facility which is proposed to accommodate up to 35,000 patrons per day for each event, and camping for over 20,000 people during events.”
The letter lists these key matters as including the insufficient traffic capacity of Roys Road, the Roys Road/Bells Creek Arterial Road intersection and the Bruce Highway interchange; bushfire risk; the environmental sensitivity of the location, noting the nearby Pumicestone Passage is part of Ramsar-protected wetlands; noise, lighting and air quality impacts; the reliance on portable infrastructure; and the potential impacts on agricultural land.
“Furthermore, it is noted that the minister’s proposed call-in notice identifies the applicant’s claim that the development would generate 682 full-time equivalent jobs on the Sunshine Coast,” it says.
“Given that the proposal is currently proposed to be limited to six events per annum, council has requested that more information be provided to support this claim.
“Approval of the development by ministerial intervention would not, in council’s opinion, represent good planning for the locational reasons set out in this letter.”
Mr Bleijie’s call-in notice states the planned development involves, or is likely to involve, state interests.
“The proposal is for an outdoor music festival and exhibition event site which the applicant anticipates will be a significant tourism and economic driver for the Sunshine Coast,” it says.
“The council has also identified that specific elements of the proposal have the potential to adversely impact the rural and scenic landscapes, and that the proposal is of a scale and intensity that has the potential to adversely impact on ecologically important areas and the amenity of adjacent sensitive environments, through noise, light, waste and water quality impacts.
“Accordingly, I am of the view that the proposal represents a major tourism and economic opportunity, however there are significant social and environmental matters related to the proposal that require a balanced assessment.
“I am therefore calling in the application to assess and decide the application, as the call-in process will provide me an opportunity to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the application and ensure all matters relevant to the proposed development are fully assessed including but not limited to economic and environmental considerations.”
