Plans to reinvigorate the former Tewantin TAFE site have been shelved, with the successful proponent advising the buildings are no longer viable due to years of vandalism and deterioration.
Independent Member for Noosa Sandy Bolton said she had been advised by the NRA Collaborative — the successful applicant from the state government’s 2021 expression of interest process — that a reassessment of the site ruled out refurbishment.
The group’s original proposal, which included a school of design, has now been abandoned.
The Tewantin TAFE campus closed in 2014 and has remained largely unused since.
Ms Bolton initially pushed for the site to be retained for community. In 2020 it was offered to Noosa Council, which declined due to the cost of restoring the buildings and the expected timeframe to resolve the Kabi Kabi Native Title Federal Court case. The case is a landmark determination in 2024 recognising Native Title over significant areas of southeast Queensland including parts of the Sunshine Coast, granting exclusive rights to over 365,000 hectares under the Native Title Act 1993.
The state government then launched an expression of interest process, with the NRA Collaborative announced as the successful applicant in 2021. The site was formally transferred to the new owners in 2025.
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Ms Bolton said she recently met onsite with NRA Collaborative representative Andrew St Baker, who advised the new direction for the site would focus on independent seniors living.
This is one of the limited uses allowed under the site’s zoning, which prevents clearing and protects biodiversity overlays and koala habitat.
While still disappointed by the site’s deterioration, Ms Bolton said the revised proposal could still deliver a positive outcome.
“I remain heartbroken about the condition of the site … but it’s time to move forward,” she said.
“I’ve been advised that affordable worker housing isn’t possible here because of the zoning, so it’s positive that another housing need can be addressed, allowing long-term residents to downsize and stay in the community.”
Ms Bolton said she would continue to keep the community informed as more information becomes available.
A Noosa Council spokesperson told SCN that any development for the intended use of the site would “have to go to council and go through the planning application process”.
