A move to sell a council-owned car park to a community housing provider has been abandoned after local opposition.
Sunshine Coast Council announced on Wednesday that it will not proceed with the sale of land at 46–62 Howard Street in Nambour, to Coast2Bay Housing Group Limited.
The decision followed face-to-face engagement with the community, which highlighted concerns about the suitability of the site for the proposed development.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the outcome demonstrated the council’s commitment to listening to local voices.
“This is another example of Council genuinely listening and responding to our community,” she said.
“The people who live, work and access services in Nambour every day have an intimate understanding of the local area, and it is essential that we take the time to carefully consider their views.
“Nambour hasn’t experienced this level of investment in decades. It is going to be important to ensure that we balance the growth while holding onto what we value about Nambour.
“This decision is about shaping a Nambour we all want – now and into the future.”
It followed the council last month opted to postpone a vote on the proposed sale of the parking lot, and after a petition opposing it was signed by more than 1100 people.
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Nambour Groups Chair Rhonda Billett welcomed the decision and thanked the council for listening to community feedback.
“Council have been working behind the scenes with our Nambour Group leaders on this matter,” she said.
“They listened to the community sentiment and business feedback and acted swiftly. For that, our Nambour Group leaders are very appreciative.”
“Working alongside all levels of government, I’m confident we can get wonderful economic outcomes for this part of the Sunshine Coast. We are all very strongly aligned for what’s ahead for our part of the region.”
Local councillor David Law said the site had long been identified as having potential for affordable housing, but community feedback was clear.
“While the need for affordable housing is well recognised, the community told us this site already serves an important purpose as a safe, accessible car park for people to reach services and businesses,” he said.
“We heard that the question was not whether affordable housing is needed, but whether this was the right location.
“We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the community to support Nambour’s growth in a way that strengthens neighbourhood connections and contributes to a vibrant, inclusive future.”
State MP Marty Hunt had, earlier on Tuesday, expressed his opposition to the sale proposal.
“Our community has spoken clearly, with strong and widespread concern about the proposed plan to sell the council-owned Howard and Sydney Street carpark in Nambour.
“I stand with the community in opposing the sale of this important asset.”
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.
