Part of a Sunshine Coast waste and recycling centre could be displaced by a major transport hub, with council yet to confirm what would happen to affected services.
State government mapping for the multibillion-dollar The Wave multi-modal project places the future transport corridor within the Buderim Resource Recovery Centre grounds, while a comparison with environmental site plans shows the proposed Mountain Creek station car park could encroach further into the centre’s mapped green waste area.
The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) said the Birtinya-to-Mountain Creek corridor and location of the Mountain Creek station have been confirmed, but the final design and location of the broader station precinct remained under assessment.
Stages 1 and 2 of The Wave will include heavy passenger rail between Beerwah and Birtinya, while Stage 3 will use metro-style vehicles between Birtinya and the airport, via the Maroochydore City Centre.
Stage 1 has $5.5 billion in joint state and federal government funding, while construction funding for Stages 2 and 3 is yet to be confirmed.
Sunshine Coast Council said it was working with the government on “potential displacement impacts”, but did not provide details about the waste centre when asked by Sunshine Coast News.
SCN approached council about what could happen if the final station, car park or access arrangements affected part or all of the Buderim Resource Recovery Centre.
Council was asked whether it was considering a contingency plan to maintain services, whether the existing facility could be reconfigured, some services relocated or a replacement centre established elsewhere.
It was also asked where residents and commercial users could be directed if operations were reduced, disrupted or relocated, whether other council waste facilities had capacity to take the additional demand and who could be responsible for funding any changes.
Council initially referred the inquiry to TMR.
A TMR spokesperson said the Mountain Creek station precinct would play an important role in improving connectivity and access to jobs, education, community facilities and key local services.
“TMR continues to work closely with Sunshine Coast Council and key stakeholders to consider potential impacts and determine the most suitable outcome for the community.”
SCN again sought details from council about what could happen should the waste facility be affected.
In response, a council spokesperson said waste management was an important component of its strategic approach to a sustainable Sunshine Coast, but did not comment on whether a contingency plan was being developed or what alternative arrangements could be made.
“Our focus is on providing sustainable, well-planned waste infrastructure and services that consider the needs of our expanding community, rapidly evolving industry changes and the protection of our Sunshine Coast environment, both now and in the future,” the spokesperson said.
“Sunshine Coast Council has and continues to work collaboratively with the Department of Transport and Main Roads on all aspects of The Wave corridor alignment and design, including any potential displacement impacts and their solutions.”
The Buderim Resource Recovery Centre currently accepts a range of waste and recyclable materials and includes a recycle market. Green waste, metal and concrete are among the materials that can be tipped at the facility.
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TMR has not confirmed that any of those operations will need to be relocated.
The potential impact on the council site comes after dozens of other properties were removed from The Wave acquisition path.
In July, owners of 81 properties previously identified as potentially affected were told their land would no longer be required, although other properties, mainly in one area of Mountain Creek, were still expected to be affected.
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.
