By Sonia Isaacs
The State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) has recommended refusal of the proposed Coochin Fields outdoor music festival and exhibition site at 1641 Roys Road, Coochin Creek.
SARA delivered its formal assessment to Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie on September 19, finding the proposal by Coochin Creek Property Pty Ltd to be fundamentally inconsistent with regional planning protections. The report was posted on the Ministerial call-in page on October 2.
The agency concluded the development conflicted with the Regional Landscape and Rural Production Area (RLRPA) and the Northern Inter-Urban Break (NIUB) – areas established to safeguard environmental and rural values between the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay. It found the project failed to meet Planning Regulation requirements for locational need and overriding public interest need, determining there was no compelling reason for the venue to be located within the NIUB.
SARA also advised that the proposal conflicted with the strategic intent of the state’s regional plan, ShapingSEQ 2023, and that its core inconsistencies could not be resolved through conditions. The agency found there would be no significant adverse economic, social or environmental impact if the venue did not proceed, and the site lacked any unique characteristics justifying its development.
This is the second major project linked to the Comiskey family’s Coochin Creek Property Pty Ltd to receive a refusal recommendation, following SARA’s advice against the nearby Coochin Creek Tourist Park proposal at 1807 Roys Road.
The assessment raised serious concerns about public safety and infrastructure. SARA noted the site’s only access is via Roys Road, which passes through about eight kilometres of pine plantation identified as a high bushfire-risk area. The agency found the developer’s proposed “shelter-in-place” strategy inadequate, recommending a more comprehensive emergency management plan.
Infrastructure limitations were also identified, with uncertainty about whether Roys Road, Bells Creek Arterial Road and the Bruce Highway ramps could safely accommodate peak event traffic. Environmental concerns included the site’s proximity to Pumicestone National Park and the Moreton Bay RAMSAR wetlands, as well as potential amenity impacts on nearby homes and cropping activities.
A coalition of ten community organisations has called on the Minister to uphold SARA’s findings and reject both developments.
Sunshine Coast Environment Council spokesperson Narelle McCarthy said the proposal’s scale and intensity 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,” while OSCAR president Melva Hobson said SARA’s decision was consistent with Queensland’s Planning Act and should be upheld.
The Comiskey Group were contacted for comment.