State agency says ‘no compelling reason’ for Coochin Fields festival site
By Sonia Isaacs
The state’s call-in of the proposed Coochin Fields festival site development will ensure Queensland’s tourism priorities and community concerns are fully considered, Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie says.
It follows a report by the State Assessment Referral Agency (SARA) that found the project, a festival site for up to 35,000 patrons, was “inconsistent” with the area’s environmental capacity.
Mr Bleijie told GC&M News that “SARA’s assessment is bounded by Labor’s failed South East Queensland regional plan which stifled tourism development opportunities across the region.”
“Considering Labor’s failure to plan for tourism development, the call-in process ensures all relevant state interests are evaluated and reflect current government priorities,” he said.
The agency report, made public earlier this month, followed the call-in of the project by Mr Bleijie in August. The move took the matter out of the hands of the Sunshine Coast Council, which had raised concerns with the proposal.
SARA found the planned outdoor music festival and exhibition site conflicted with key regional planning protections. It concluded the project was inconsistent with the Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area (RLRPA) and the Northern Inter-Urban Break (NIUB) — areas established to protect environmental and rural values between the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay.
The recommendation comes less than a month after SARA advised against approval of a second Coochin Creek project — the Coochin Creek Tourist Park at 1807 Roys Road. Both applications were proposed by the Comiskey family.
In both cases, SARA determined there was no overriding need in the public interest for the projects to proceed. Its report on the Coochin Fields proposal found there would be no significant adverse economic, social, or environmental impact on the community if the festival venue did not go ahead, and that the site lacked any unique features justifying its location within the NIUB.
The agency also raised concerns about public safety, noting the site’s only access point is via Roys Road, which runs eight to ten kilometres through a pine plantation identified as a high bushfire-risk area. While the developer proposed a “shelter in place” strategy, SARA said a more comprehensive emergency management plan was needed.
Infrastructure limitations were also highlighted, with uncertainty around whether the local road network, including Bruce Highway ramps, could safely handle peak event traffic. Environmental concerns included proximity to Pumicestone National Park and the Moreton Bay RAMSAR wetlands.
A coalition of ten community groups has since called on the Minister to uphold SARA’s findings and reject both developments. Sunshine Coast Environment Council spokesperson Narelle McCarthy said the scale and intensity of the proposal were “fundamentally incompatible” with the sensitive Pumicestone Passage and NIUB.
Caloundra Residents Association president Craig Humphrey urged Mr Bleijie to “do the right thing by our local community and reject this and the Tourist Park proposal.”
Organisation of Sunshine Coast Association of Residents president Melva Hobson said SARA’s decision was consistent with Queensland’s Planning Act and called on the Minister to “uphold the integrity of the planning system and reject these proposals.”
Minister Bleijie said: “To ensure the local community can have their say, public consultation will occur following the applicant’s response to the information request.”