By Sonia Isaacs
HUNDREDS of Beerwah residents packed a charged community meeting last Wednesday January 21, mounting a unified stand against the State Government’s proposal to bulldoze the historic Beerwah Co-Op to make way for a multi-storey commuter car park linked to The Wave rail expansion project.
The meeting, held amid growing concern about the future of the 90-year-old agricultural services hub and fuel station, heard fierce opposition to Transport and Main Roads’ (TMR) proposal for the 39 Simpson Street site.
The plan would see the Co-Op and adjoining Shell service station demolished to accommodate a 400-bay car park and associated station works in a move locals say would gut the “heart of Beerwah”, cost 52 local jobs and funnel hundreds of extra vehicles into an already congested town centre.
While Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli and Division 1 Councillor Jenny Broderick attended, the absence of invited state representatives drew audible disappointment from the floor, with residents questioning why local state MPs had not fronted the community.
Mayor Natoli said the turnout itself sent a powerful message.
“If there is one thing that signals strength in a community, it is turning up when it matters. And that’s what you’ve done tonight,” she said.
“To be perfectly clear, this is a state government project. It is not my call. It is not my decision. It is not my project. But that doesn’t mean I don’t get to be here and listen.”
The Mayor committed to taking residents’ concerns directly to Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg MP and local state MPs, saying the depth of feeling in the room could not be ignored.
Heart of Beerwah Community Action Group chair Peter Boyle, a fourth-generation local farmer, said the community supported improved rail but overwhelmingly rejected the Co-Op site as the solution.
“We are pro rail. We’re pro The Wave. We’re not even against a car park,” Mr Boyle said.
“We are just against this car park in TMR’s chosen site, which is 39 Simpson Street – the Co-Op and Shell service station site.”
He warned the proposal would overload Beerwah’s road network, erode the town’s rural character and dismantle a critical agricultural hub relied upon by farmers, heavy vehicle operators and local businesses across the hinterland.
Mr Boyle revealed a petition opposing the resumption had already attracted more than 6,300 signatures.
“One thing is absolutely clear: our community does not support the resumption of the Co-Op site,” he said.
“We are supportive of sensible growth. We support development that is stable, practical and respectful of the town’s heritage and future. Thank you for having the heart to support us.”
Cr Broderick described the Co-Op as “an essential part of the fabric that knits our community together” and threw her support behind community-led alternative designs that would retain the business while still delivering rail and parking upgrades.
“We are not standing against the necessary infrastructure. We know our community needs it,” she said.
“What we are standing against is the removal of an essential business in the heart of our Beerwah township. There are always other options. It’s just whether or not there is a willingness to find them, fund them and make them happen.”
Cr Broderick confirmed a meeting had been secured between TMR project leads and the Heart of Beerwah group, where technically tested alternative designs would be presented.
“We are flying blind. We haven’t seen any of the design proposals put together by the two companies fighting for the right to design and build stage one of The Wave,” she said.
“We are just here as your local representatives who understand, at a grassroots level, how important this is to our township. We may not get everything right, but we turn up.”
Beerwah Co-Op general manager Steve Williams said the business had received no formal notice of intent to resume the land or not renew its lease.
“We have never received an official intent to resume the site or a non-renewal of lease notification. It’s still all just word of mouth at the moment from TMR,” Mr Williams said.
“If the Co-Op goes, it’s a critical anchor store (to Beerwah).”
Mr Williams outlined the significant financial and logistical hurdles of relocating, saying construction costs for a replacement fuel station had skyrocketed in recent years.
“A very basic fuel station would be $5 million to $7.5 million, excluding land. A station as big as ours, with the ability to handle trucks, would be upwards of $10 million without the land,” he said.
“Then there’s the environmental clean-up and the reality that closing a 90-year-old business is a big, big process. At best estimates, it would take at least a year.”
He said Queensland Rail had reassured the Co-Op as recently as mid-2024 that its lease, due for renewal in 2027, was not under threat.
“So something’s only just changed in the past several months,” he said.
Heart of Beerwah representative, Sharyn Innes, presented a detailed case for relocating the car park to the eastern side of the rail line near Beerwah Parade.
She said the alternative would protect the Co-Op and its 52 jobs, deliver better traffic outcomes with direct access to Steve Irwin Way, and make use of existing state-owned land.
Her analysis suggested the eastern option could reduce costs by millions through a longer, lower structure, fewer lift and stair cores, and building over or alongside platforms.
It would also better align with existing commuter parking patterns, provide covered access for users, and reduce the visual impact on Beerwah’s main street.
Although TMR declined to front up to Wednesday’s meeting to talk to the community, representatives met with Heart of Beerwah group members the following day.
Community representatives said the meeting with TMR marked a constructive but preliminary step.
Mr Boyle said the meeting was generally positive, but said many critical questions remain unanswered.
“While the initial meeting with TMR was constructive, there are still many unanswered questions about the car park, timelines and community impacts, so substantial follow-up and clearer public consultation will be essential,” he said.
A TMR spokesperson said the department remained committed to ongoing engagement with the Beerwah community, confirming The Wave project team had met with members of Heart of Beerwah as part of the consultation process.
The spokesperson said TMR had also maintained consistent engagement with the Beerwah Co-Op Board regarding the proposed park-and-ride site on state-owned land, including discussions about potential future retail opportunities within the development.
Despite the constructive tone, significant issues remain unresolved, including concerns about the lack of transparent consultation around the proposed multi-storey car park in the town’s main street, the impact of associated roadworks, and uncertainty around project timelines.
With final decisions potentially resting at a ministerial level, community representatives say ongoing engagement, clearer commitments and detailed public information will be essential as the process moves forward.
sonia@gcnews.com.au