By Sonia Isaacs
THE Comiskey Group’s bid to build a state-of-the-art music festival venue on the Sunshine Coast has been dealt a major blow, with the State Assessment and Referral Agency (SARA) advising it does not support the proposal.
The 150-hectare Coochin Fields project at Roys Road, Coochin Creek, was referred to SARA on March 13, 2025, with the developer estimating it would host up to six events a year and generate $95 million in visitor expenditure.
However, an advice notice issued by SARA on April 22, 2025 found the application had “not adequately demonstrated compliance” with several provisions of the Planning Regulation 2017.
Key concerns relate to the site’s location within the South East Queensland Northern Inter-Urban Break (NIUB), a protected planning zone under the SEQ Regional Plan 2023 (ShapingSEQ).
SARA said the application failed to demonstrate why the development must be located within the NIUB, nor that it met criteria for overriding public interest.
“While SARA notes that the scale of the proposed development requires a large site, the locational requirements or environmental impacts … need to be addressed,” the agency said.
It also raised questions about potential adverse social, economic and environmental impacts if the development were not approved, as required under planning legislation.
The company had earlier lodged an appeal against the Sunshine Coast Council, which argued the application was incorrectly submitted under the wrong category. However, that appeal has now been retracted.
The development was proposed as a Material Change of Use for Outdoor Sport and Recreation (Outdoor Music Festival and Exhibition Event Site).
SARA assessed the application under several triggers, including state transport infrastructure and land-use impacts within the NIUB.
