An online petition has been created to oppose the proposed sale of a council-owned block for a possible future multi-storey affordable housing development.
Sunshine Coast Council is scheduled to vote tomorrow on the plan to sell the land at 46-62 Howard Street, Nambour, to Coast2Bay Housing Group Limited.
The land comprises three lots totalling about 2627sqm and is currently used as a car park.
A report prepared ahead of tomorrow’s ordinary meeting recommends that councillors approve the sale of the land directly to Coast2Bay, rather than through a public tender or auction process, which is allowable if the disposal is to a community organisation.
But the proposal has met with some community backlash, with a petition titled ‘Save Howard Street car park – Nambour deserves better’ being launched.
The petition was created by Sarah Vortman and asks the council to consider the potential community impacts of the proposed sale.
“The Howard Street car park is one of the only centrally located public parking areas in Nambour. For people with disability, chronic health conditions or reduced mobility, it plays a critical role in enabling access to local services in town,” it says.
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“Local businesses in the area also rely on it for customer access and its loss is likely to impact foot traffic and viability for small businesses nearby.
“The site also contains mature trees providing habitat for local wildlife – ecological values that warrant proper assessment.
“Council’s own meeting report confirms no formal community consultation has been undertaken and identifies ‘no foreseen risks’ – with no mention of accessibility, parking, business or environmental impacts.
“We support affordable housing. These goals are not in conflict – but they require deliberate planning. We ask council to ensure that action on one equity issue does not inadvertently create new barriers for the community.”
A social media post by Ms Vortman sharing the petition said community members had “real concerns” about the proposal.
“I’m raising this as a Nambour local, an autistic and disabled person who relies on this car park, and someone who works in the disability advocacy space – but I know these concerns are shared by many in our community,” she said.
“Even if Thursday’s vote goes ahead, this isn’t over – there’s a formal development application process ahead where community voices must be heard.”
The petition asks that the council: undertake a formal accessibility impact assessment before proceeding with the potential sale; ensure equivalent or improved accessible parking is provided as part of any possible redevelopment; assess the environmental impact of redevelopment on the site’s mature trees and wildlife; consider the impact on local businesses whose customers rely on the car park; and commit to community consultation before any decision is made.
The report says the council and Coast2Bay have been working to deliver affordable housing on the block since 2008 but funding constraints have hampered their efforts.
“The transfer of land by sale to Coast2Bay will enable council to deliver on its identified action in the endorsed Housing and Homelessness Action Plan and ensure residential development within the town centre of Nambour to support commercial and retail enterprises at this location,” it says.
Coast2Bay has previously advanced plans for 12 one-bed and 53 two-bed units on the site, and has advised the council that the design is largely suitable to pursue state government funding.
“The incumbent architect Hollindale Mainwaring will be appointed by Coast2Bay to continue the design development ahead of a code-assessable development application being lodged with council in due course,” the report says.
The aerial imagery in this story is from Australian location intelligence company Nearmap. The company provides government organisations, architectural, construction and engineering firms, and other companies, with easy, instant access to high-resolution aerial imagery, city-scale 3D content, artificial intelligence data sets, and geospatial tools to assist with urban planning, monitoring and development projects in Australia, New Zealand and North America.
