GHM community-led petition challenges Bruce Parade development
By Sonia Isaacs
A PETITION signed by 226 people has been tabled at Sunshine Coast Council, calling for major changes to a proposed school development in the heart of Glass House Mountains.
The 17-page document, initially lodged on September 2 and delivered by hand to Councillor Jenny Broderick, was formally tabled at Council’s Ordinary Meeting on Thursday, September 18.
It urges Council to scale back development application MCU25/0215 for 31 Bruce Parade, where the private education facility is proposed.
Lead petitioner, A Clarke, said residents were not opposed to development, but wanted Council to “adhere to the Glass House Mountains Local Plan and reduce the size of the development”.
She said this was crucial to maintaining the small rural town and relaxed village character outlined in the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme.
The petition calls for any project on the site to be limited to single-storey buildings with traditional hip and valley roofing, capped at 120 students. Signatories also requested strict enforcement of flood and vegetation overlays and protection of koala habitat, biodiversity corridors and riparian wetlands. Concerns were raised about the removal of up to 4000 square metres of vegetation.
Ms Clarke said she became involved after noticing a lack of community awareness of the application, which is code-assessable and therefore does not require public notification.
“I live a street or so off the main area and only saw the development application mentioned in GC&M News. When I looked at the plans, my first thought was that it looked bigger than our whole main street,” she said.
She spent nine days canvassing in the town centre. Of the 226 signatories, the vast majority were in favour of amendments.
“The response rate was 97 per cent, which shows how concerned people were once they became aware,” Ms Clarke said.
According to the survey, about 75 per cent of residents approached had been unaware of the proposal, with many assuming mistakenly that it was a government school. Some households living directly opposite the site said they had no knowledge of the application.
Traffic and infrastructure were recurring themes in the feedback. Residents raised concerns about congestion at Reed Street, Steve Irwin Way and Burgess Road, limited parking in the town centre, and unsafe pedestrian crossings near the railway station, shops and visitor centre.
Others worried that the school would put pressure on public transport, with limited bus services and an already constrained train station precinct.
Local business owners also flagged potential economic impacts, saying heavy school traffic could deter caravans, trucks and tourists, who form a large part of the local economy. Social concerns were raised about the loss of village identity, reduced tourism focus, and the proximity of students to the local pub and bottle shop.
Despite the strength of feeling, Ms Clarke stressed that residents were not seeking to block development altogether. “I’m not against development, and I think Council is asking the right questions on our behalf. But we need development that is appropriate to the town, not something that overwhelms it,” she said.
Many residents expressed a preference for alternative uses for the site, such as shops, tourism facilities or a community hub. But the central message was that if the land is to be developed, it should be small in scale, sympathetic in style and respectful of the local plan.
Cr Jenny Broderick said she welcomed the community-led feedback.
“This was an excellently compiled community response to the proposal and I deeply appreciate the level of clarity and comprehension of process displayed by the response,” Cr Broderick said.
“I also appreciate the effort and commitment of the local resident who sought to ensure local voices are heard in this proposal.”
Council has not yet made a decision on the application. The petition will form part of its consideration alongside planning assessments and state government requirements.
