Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be given to letters of 100 words or less.
- Read the story: ‘Relentless pressure’: brewery announces closure
Sandy Van Herberghen, Eerwah Vale: I’m writing this letter to oppose the closure of Terella. Our family have been there many times. I’m a grandmother and there aren’t many places that an entire family can go where all ages are enjoying themselves and wanting to come back for more. I beg you to reconsider.
Michael Archard, Mount Coolum: Typical of the council to override and destroy business. In these times it should be helping not destroying them. Do they make so much money out of the people that live here that they don’t want the money from businesses and don’t want for the people?
Paul Kind, Nambour: Sad to hear. Small enterprises like this have fallen to the heavy hammer of authority.
Myra Grindrod, Bli Bli: This closure is shameful! This area thrives on tourism and yet we can not find ways to work with some developments that council can not put in a box and tick off. The same goes for neighbours who complain, who do not want to give an inch or see our area continue grow and thrive.
This is in a rural area. Surely, there must be a way for this business to continue? I understand there will be issues the public is not privy too but why do we not find ways to make something work.
Carol McCormick, Cooroy: Another small business forced to close by council, which should be supporting these local small businesses to flourish. No doubt some new neighbours have arrived in the area and started complaining. It amazes me people buy knowing the venue is there and then start complaining about noise etc. Simple. Don’t buy in the first place.
- Read the story: Wises Farm development plan approved unanimously and Development of iconic farm set for council vote
Russ de Lange, Sunshine Cove: Cove residents have concerns regarding the underpass and the volume of proposed traffic. The proposed 3000 vehicles per day does not take into account the other developments in the Cove, which will add even more congestion in the area. The area under the bridge is also subject to flooding. Will this make the underpass visible and safe?
Jennie Brownlie, Peregian Springs: The proposed development for mass small block housing, commercial infrastructure at the Wise’s family site is the biggest mistake the Sunshine Coast Council could ever make in its term.
By approving it, it will make the history books with the destruction of this irreplaceable, natural, beautiful parcel of land. It will be a historical decision as it defines how profit and commercialism take precedence over preservation of the land and shows disrespect for the early pioneers who forged their way growing crops, ginger, nuts and sugar. Opening up the area to families coming into the area where hard physical work was the only way to get ahead.
The land at Wises farm is rich, fertile with abundant natural spring water. The way of the future can only be in preservation of this valuable parcel of land for all to enjoy as public space. A green oasis in the middle of an ever-increasing heat dome with so much new development with little regard to establishing canopy.
The Maroochydore Bunnings, Spotlight etc development is a perfect example of poor design where the heat intensity is overbearing with no growth or shade, remembering that the land it’s developed on was also once part of Peter Wise’s ownership.
In 2024 I approached council regarding this very special parcel of land with its pockets of original rainforest, its natural water supply and richness of soil.
My proposal was for council to purchase the site to create a botanical garden – an educational facility for troubled youth to learn botany, planting and land culture along with construction of paths, bridges and waterways.
A public space and green oasis among the continual build-up of concrete, steel and heat, which the area is becoming known for. An area for families to use to picnic with bike paths to link other areas and offer wide open spaces for children to actually run.
It would have provided an example of forward-thinking and preservation for overseas visitors to enjoy with the approaching Olympic Games. Afterall, some of the biggest cities in the northern hemisphere are creating vast green spaces and waterways in the middle of the dense development of city living and enveloping harsh buildings with greenery plantings. This provides for cooling spaces and recreation to be enjoyed by their populations.
The legacy of our local indigenous, early settlers and pioneers to the area should be recognised and respected for their contribution and hard labour. It’s sheer heartbreak to witness yet another extremely valuable resource (of a natural parcel of land) be lost to the ugly process of development by a council.
A lost opportunity to have an innovative, wondrous, cooling green space to provide recreation, education and extended good health into the future for residents and visitors. The 2024 proposal I sent by e-mail to council for consideration to purchase the Wise’s family parcel of land for the purpose of a botanical garden and an educational facility was rejected by council’s land acquisition team.
There was hope council might just acquire even some for green space by the motorway to relieve the intensity of chaos and development. Now there is no way back, we have to preserve what is left of ever-decreasing wide green spaces within development zones.
This is a lost opportunity by the Sunshine Coast Council to be the forward-thinkers, to lead the way and set examples with innovation to develop and enrich what land is left for the well-being of residents and future generations.
If land protection orders for significant historical land parcels are never put in place and ignored, then local history will disappear. That will continue to be very sad for past, present and future generations of the area.
I ask council to walk over some of the land at Wises Farm as I did. It will be a forever memory of the past as it was for myself.
- Read the story: Camping caps and curfews set under festival site green light
Paul, Moolooaba: Replying to “Burnice from Glass House” about last week’s comments regarding Coochin fields festival site. Now, it really amazes a lot of us that soon as a development application is given approval all the greenies come out of the woodwork and cry doom and gloom. With this particular approval, there are over 100 environmental conditions that the Comiskey Group must abide by as they have done in the past, for example, the Sandstone Point venue, as mentioned in last week’s comment.
Sandstone Point Hotel and festival site and BIG4 holiday resort were all built in a mangrove area and not one mangrove was destroyed during that build, and still to this day is one of the healthiest water systems on the east coast. We still catch as many fish and crabs there as we did in the 1970s and the Sandstone Point festival site is a lot closer to the mangroves than what the Coochin Fields site will be in relation to the mangroves.
So Burnice, instead of stressing out about all the mangroves in that small section of the Pumicestone Passage that are going to get destroyed and the world will come to an end, I recommend you just chill out, put your feet up, have a cuppa and listen to some of your fave music, because there are a lot worse things happening in this country today than an approval for a music festival site at Coochin Fields.
Sue Diserens, Hon. Secretary, Northern Inter Urban Break Integrity Association Incorporated: The Queensland Planning Minister has stated that if the environment coped with a strawberry and turf farm, it can cope with a music festival equipped with stormwater, sewerage and waste treatment systems. Yet the approval conditions show there is no permanent infrastructure of that kind.
Condition 86 requires temporary mobile toilets for patrons, campers, staff, artists, suppliers and operators. Condition 83 requires all potable water to be brought onto the site. These are not permanent treatment systems – they are temporary measures for a development of significant scale.
Traffic impacts are equally concerning. All patrons who are not camping (approximately 20,000) are required to exit by midnight. All traffic funnels onto Roys Road East.
Condition 32: “No righthand turn from Roys Road on to Bells Creek Arterial is approved …” forcing all vehicles to turn left from Roys Rd East, creating an obvious bottleneck, particularly on the M1.
Residents deserve transparency, not spin.
Andrew Moran, Battery Hill: The promotional brochure for the 35,000‑capacity Coochin Fields festival site doesn’t change some basic realities.
The Deputy Premier has asserted that the Coochin Creek projects “stack up economically and environmentally”. But studies needed to demonstrate that economic and environmental viability have yet to be done. The claimed benefits – jobs, revenue, traffic management, environmental safety, broader community outcomes – remain untested assertions. None have been independently validated, modelled or peer‑reviewed.
What is certain is that the community will carry the long‑term environmental, financial and safety risks, along with the costs that follow.
The more than 90 conditions attached to the approval acknowledge a high level of underlying project risk and uncertainty – risks and costs that will fall largely on the community, not the proponent.
This is not a debate about being for or against tourism or events. It is about accountability. If the projects truly “stack up”, the evidence will show it.
The community is simply asking to see the evidence – the detail that explains the decision and the reason it was excluded from a process that will significantly affect it.
Elaine Ricketts, Maleny: So, the festival site at Coochin Creek has been given the go ahead.
A lot of waste will be generated by thousands of people concentrated on the site and in particular plastic, which degrades to microplastic and enters the food chain for marine and terrestrial fauna. With no drinking water on the site, the potential to generate hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles is very real.
So often we see that coffee cups, for example, have recyclable lids and compostable cups but there are no facilities for either plastic recycling or composting. Coochin Fields needs to get serious about running plastic-free events and Plastic Free Noosa has a free online events checklist that is easy to follow and that works. The Woodford Festival can also offer great advice on working towards a zero waste event. It can be done and it must be done properly from the start. Imagine how much money could be generated for charity by enabling Containers for Change to operate on the site. It is not enough to bring in large skips and take the waste “away”.
So many of the conditions imposed on this development are not enforceable, such as “insecticidal sprays must be applied in such a manner that avoids, as far as practicable, any adverse impacts”. Who is watching?
With all water having to be brought onto the site for showers and toilets, there will be a lot of runoff. Proper treatment of wastewater must be ensured right from the start. Stormwater runoff into Pumicestone National Park and water quality must be monitored for ever as deleterious effects occur over time.
Coochin Fields could join other world leading events like Glastonbury in the UK in setting the example in waste management or it could be a disaster for the environment.
Michael Yeates, Golden Beach: The letter from Diane of Pelican Waters asserts that nobody bothered to say a word about the changes to the development approval for the clearing of vegetation etc to extend the developed area to include more residential development at Pelican Waters.
It is my understanding that TAPP (Take Action for Pumicestone Passage Inc) may have gone to great lengths to question, and perhaps object to, the proposal and others related to it.
TAPP in particular has been very active and is well known in the community for its efforts to try to ensure compliance with planning schemes etc to reduce impacts of changes in the Pumicestone Passage catchment area.
Ken Mewburn: I am writing in response to an email which was written in the Your say section about the proposed Coochin Fields festival site and BIG4 campground by Diane of Pelican Waters when she stated that the community did not respond in any way to the destruction caused by the development of the golf course estate.
I respond to a letter from Diane, Pelican Waters to SCN February 21:
“If Diane has lived at Pelican Waters for any length of time, she would be aware that considerable effort has been expended to control or prevent the development at the golf club. Her assessment that not a single person has responded or indicated concern is completely wrong. The proposal for the development was first raised in 2006.
As a founding member of TAPP (Take Action for Pumicestone Passage) Inc in 2010, and a previous president of the group, I can confirm that our protests, and considerable and continuous communication with council and government began in 2011. We have witnessed three changes of ownership in that time, attended a large public meeting at Pelican Waters in 2018 and met with the current owners in November 2019.
The development has since been approved as Code Assessable, which has effectively reduced, if not eliminated, community consultation. The council and government have been the recipient of numerous submissions from local residents.
When development approvals are granted, sometimes by court approvals, the community is often left with nothing more than attempting mitigation of the known consequences. The potential for impact on local habitat is well known and that impact can extend far beyond the local area.
- Read the story: Fight against illegal dumping steps up as figures reveal extent
Mick, Wynnum: I think it is no wonder because of the cost to dump at the Caloundra tip. I recently cleaned up a ute load at my mother’s house while visiting for the weekend. I have for many years said that the fees at Sunshine Coast tips would have to be one of the biggest government rorts.
As a ratepayer in Brisbane, we receive 10 coupons valued at 100kgs each for domestic and green waste to use at tips each year. Plus, we have a kerbside clean-up once a year provided as well.
If this scheme was introduced to Sunshine Coast Council, I’d say there would be a lot less illegal dumping and the $20 million could be spent towards subsidising this.
- Read the story: Future of rail land uncertain after track realignment
Michael Kelly, Mountain Creek: I urge the state government to rethink its decision to terminate the heavy rail line at Birtinya. With all of the major investment in higher speed and higher capacity rail that has, or will have, taken place between Brisbane and Birtinya, it makes sense to finish this project properly and take the heavy rail all the way to the commercial centre of the Coast, the Maroochydore CBD. By the time of the Olympics and for future generations, the current Wave proposal will be viewed as a “what were they thinking?” outcome.
Margaret Mourik, Peregian Beach: Your train realignment article does not mention duplication of the tracks (north of Beerwah). Maybe build a bike path next to the tracks, it could be a faster way of getting to Brisbane? I find it appalling that trains from Nambour to Brisbane are still not every hour. The Gold Coast to Brisbane line has trains every 30 minutes every day. After 9am the Nambour trains south are every one-hour-30-minutes. I have lived on the Sunshine Coast for over 25 years and the timetable has still not been improved.
Trains north of Nambour are even more scarce. The population has increased massively but the train timetable remains basically the same. More trains mean fewer cars on the road. With the recent hold ups on the Bruce Highway, driving to Brisbane is a very poor option. Give us more trains.
- Read the story: Govt exploring ‘range of vehicles’ for grand transport plan
C. Brooks, Dicky Beach: I applaud the progress finally being made in the Sunshine Coast grand transport plan but I have heard little talk about adoption of autonomous transport vehicles being considered. The future is definitely going down this path. Today’s newborn will grow up and possibly never get behind a wheel and drive.
Global organisations are already designing self-drive taxis and will make billions out of it because the cost will not come down despite removing the most expensive part of a taxi’s running cost.
Why can’t public transport take the next step? Imagine buses actually running to timetable and every few minutes if the most expensive (and unreliable) element is removed.
- Read the story: Camping operator seeks funds for approval after complaint
Ross Williamson: In regards to a Go Fund Me for a private enterprise, why doesn’t the owner take out a loan instead of sponging off others? Claiming ignorance and getting away with a money-making enterprise does not cut it.
Debbie Macquarie, Scarborough: Who on Earth would do that to someone unless they didn’t like her, or were jealous … sad person indeed … but they have helped I hope, by giving free advertising for the campgrounds. May she raise even more than $20,000 and go far with the free advertising.
- Read the story: Health retreat seeks approval after council letter
Pat Turner, Montville: We live near this retreat, which has been operating with full council knowledge since January 6, 2025.
Your aerial photo of this place shows the two “proposed tiny homes” already in place. They arrived last year end of February. I contacted council’s development officer to let him know I saw these two tiny homes come in. These tiny homes are on stumps, plumbed and powered all ready to go and have been so, since early last year.
The Material Change of Use sign erected this year at the end of January shows an old aerial shot of this property with no tiny homes in place, only an arrow pointing to the spots as, “proposed tiny house 1 and 2”. A bit deceptive I feel.
This MCU sign is hidden by shrubbery and not easily seen by the majority of cars using this road. The position of the sign implies it is referring to 9 Negus Road.
I wrote to the mayor in March 2025 to inform her what was happening.
I was contacted by a development officer on February 2 to be told that the estate had been given full council approval and can commence operating from February 6. That is a whole fortnight before MCU submissions closing date!
The whole development has been very underhanded. It will set a precedent for future developers to just start and council will automatically give them the green light.
C. Illingworth, Montville: Evidently Sunshine Council now allows past developments to be labelled future. The sign was put up on January 30 and the development happened in March 2025! Can we now build and put in development proposals 10 months later?
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be given to letters of 100 words or less.
