TMR awaits council answers as key project timeline blows out to 2026
By Mitch Gaynor
THE long-awaited Maleny streetscape project has hit another roadblock, with Sunshine Coast Council confirming construction may not commence until 2026.
Nearly three years since plans were first revealed for the Maple Street beautification project, council officers told a Maleny Commerce breakfast event last week that the project was stalled with Transport and Main Roads, and that a tender was still months away.
GC&M News understands the project is currently awaiting approval from the TMR, which cannot proceed until council responds to a series of outstanding queries.
Specific concerns were focused on potential safety and efficiency impacts.
A TMR spokesperson said the department was continuing to liaise with council on the project.
“As part of this review, we are assessing and providing feedback on various elements of the separate design stages as information becomes available from SCC,” the spokesperson said.
A council officer told Maleny Commerce members they were working to “get some of their queries resolved so that we can move on construction”.
He acknowledged that even once final approvals were secured, the tender process would still take months.
“The tender period itself will take three months,” the officer said, adding, “then we’re dependent on when a contractor can actually commence work.”
This suggests the project could realistically be delayed until late 2025 or early 2026.
Maleny Commerce president Spencer Shaw said he was disappointed that, following positive initial community engagement three years ago, the project was now “being done to us, not with us”.
“It’s hard to be convinced it will happen in 25/26, given that it was meant to be delivered earlier this year—and that’s all evaporated,” he said.
Other business owners expressed concern that the timing of any start could impact on the peak Christmas holiday period.
The $2 million project aims to revitalise Maleny’s main street, with council promising to maintain traffic access and minimise disruption to local businesses during construction.
However, the repeated delays have tested the community’s goodwill and patience.
Council officers acknowledged the growing frustration and said they were working to establish more robust communication channels, and potentially create a community working group to improve engagement.
The project’s scope includes five key focus areas and aims to enhance the streetscape while preserving the town’s unique character.
Council also confirmed there would be a loss of parking spaces, although they added moves were underway to change signage at the IGA to explicitly state it was council-owned parking.
“As part of this design, there is a net loss of about four spaces, but we are trying to absorb that immediately within the adjacent streets,” the officer said.
mitch@gcnews.com.au
