By Sonia Isaacs
A CONTROVERSIAL $35 million eco tourist park has been given the green light after the State Government stepped in to approve the development using ministerial call-in powers overriding council assessment and fierce environmental opposition.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie, said his decision to approve the Comiskey Group’s Coochin Creek project at a former strawberry farm on Roys Road signalled that “Queensland is open for business”.
The tourist park will feature 150 sites including 75 villas and 75 camping that can accommodate more than 600 visitors at peak capacity.
The 45-hectare waterfront site on the Pumicestone Passage will include pools, recreation areas and nature-based tourism infrastructure.
Speaking at the announcement last week (January 8), Mr Bleijie said the project was set to be a “world-class” eco-tourism destination and major regional jobs driver.
“This decision is beneficial for Queensland, beneficial for the Sunshine Coast, and beneficial for jobs and economic opportunity,” he said.
“When I say Queensland is open for business, it means making decisions but making them responsibly.” Mr Bleijie said the development stacked up economically and environmentally after a six-month state-led assessment.
Mr Bleijie said more than 800 community submissions were considered before the decision was made, and confirmed the approval carried 95 conditions, including road upgrades, fire management, environmental safeguards and revegetation requirements. “One of our state interests now is eco-tourism, jobs and economic opportunity,” he said.
“Only about 0.6 hectares of vegetation will be cleared, while 3.3 hectares must be revegetated,” he said. “We will end up with this being positive for the environment.”
Comiskey Group director David Comiskey welcomed the approval, calling it the end of a five-year planning process. “We’re very excited to receive the approval and we thank the State Government for backing this project,” Mr Comiskey said.
“This will be a destination similar in scale and quality to Sandstone Point, drawing visitors from across Australia and, over time, internationally.”
While the group declined to lock in a final budget, Mr Comiskey said construction costs were initially estimated at $35m, acknowledging costs could rise by as much as 30 per cent. Construction is expected to be underway within two years, supporting more than 200 jobs, with a further 25 to 35 ongoing positions once operational.
The project is one of two Comiskey development proposals called in by the state government last year.
Sunshine Coast Environment Council spokesperson Narelle McCarthy described the approval as “outrageous but not unexpected”.
“This decision ignores expert advice and significant community concern, undermines the integrity of Queensland’s planning system, and places an internationally significant wetland at risk,” a coalition of community and environmental groups said in a statement.
“The Pumicestone Passage is not an experimental tourism site and is already under pressure.
“This is not low-impact, nature-based eco-tourism, and conditions that are difficult to monitor or enforce cannot guarantee protection of these fragile ecosystems.”
Tourism Minister, Andrew Powell, said the approval aligned with the government’s Destination 2045 strategy, which aims to expand low-impact tourism while boosting regional economies ahead of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
A separate proposal for a nearby large-scale 150-hectare outdoor events venue “Coochin Fields” at 1641 Roys Road remains under Ministerial assessment.
sonia@gcnews.com.au