A piece of public sporting land could be sold to help make way for an upgrade of an adjoining club site.
Sunshine Coast councillors will on Thursday consider the sale of a 3190sqm block in Gregory Street, Golden Beach, which forms part of the wider Reserve 1000 sporting precinct.
Council documents identify the proposed purchaser as “CSCC Pty Ltd trading as Caloundra Sports and Community Club”, which they state owns the adjoining property.
The club wants the land to support a redevelopment and expansion of its existing sporting and community facilities, with the council block required as a flood offset area for the project.
A contract has already been entered into, but the sale cannot proceed unless councillors approve it at their November 12 ordinary meeting.
Officers are recommending the land be sold directly to the adjoining owner without going to tender or auction, saying the block is landlocked and no other adjoining owner wants to buy it.
The property would still have to be sold at or above market value, based on an independent valuation.
The proposed price and other contract terms remain confidential and would not be released until after ownership was transferred.
The land is zoned Sport and Recreation and had previously been identified in council’s Reserve 1000 master plan as a possible future off-field training area and overflow parking.
That has prompted council officers to acknowledge a “potential perception risk” around selling land set aside for future sporting use.
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The report states there could be concerns about reducing the amount of land available for sport as demand grows, but officers consider the risk low because another area at the northern end of the reserve could potentially be used for training.
The site is also listed on the Environmental Management Register because of its historical use as landfill.
If the sale goes ahead, responsibility for any ongoing contaminated-land management, monitoring or remediation would transfer to the purchaser.
Caloundra District Rugby League Football Club has longstanding ties to the land and previously owned both the council block and the adjoining property.
Council documents state the rugby league club later sold the adjoining lot and now leases its clubhouse for a peppercorn rent, while also holding trustee permits over the council-owned land until September 2028.
Those permits would need to be cancelled before the sale could proceed.
The report states the rugby league club supports the transaction and believes it would help its future and financial sustainability.
Sunshine Coast News has also sought comment from the Caloundra District Rugby League Football Club.
No formal community consultation has been undertaken over the proposed sale.
The contract is also conditional on development approval being obtained for the adjoining property.
If that approval has not been secured by April 8 either party can terminate the agreement.
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