Developers invited to turn Sunshine Coast golf course into new CBD

Developers are being invited to transform an old golf course on the Sunshine Coast into the region’s new city centre after four years of planning.

In one of south-east Queensland's largest urban regeneration projects, expressions of interest are being sought from developers to build a city heart at Maroochydore over 50 hectares.

An artist's impression of Maroochydore's futuristic new central business district in 15 years' time.

That land includes $10 million in underground digital waste and lighting facilities and includes space for retail, commercial and 1390 apartments along waterways.

In 2015, the Sunshine Coast Council put together a company called SunCentral Maroochydore to plan the new CBD.

SunCentral was kickstarted by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk in February 2016 and underground waste and infrastructure facilities were added during 2016-17.

“[The new city centre] offers mixed-use apartment precincts alongside planned waterways and parkland,” SunCentral Maroochydore chief executive officer John Knaggs said.

“This is a unique opportunity for experienced developers and institutional capital groups to enter into a long-term partnership with SunCentral Maroochydore and set a new benchmark for city centre design and development in one of the fastest-growing regions in the country.”

Roads, footpaths, kerbing and landscaping are in place.

It is being built on the former site of the Horton Park Golf Club, which was bought by the Sunshine Coast Council for $42 million in 2015 and relocated to a nearby site.

SunCentral has since leased some blocks of land in the core commercial area of the new CBD and has guided the civil works and underground infrastructure stage.

The company said it was time to allow private-sector firms to develop the next stage.

Mr Knaggs said SunCentral and the Sunshine Coast Council never intended to develop the “vertical buildings”.

“We don’t fund buildings,” Mr Knaggs said.

“Hence we go to the market to work with those 'vertical' investors and developers on the staging so they can sensibly build up those precincts in the vertical realm,” he said.

“Our role is to intelligently stage those civil works to create those lots.”

SunCentral Maroochydore chief executive John Knaggs says the group seeks a long-term set of development partners for the next 10 to 15 years of the project.

The expressions of interest on the next 15 hectares of the site can be lodged until August 30.

On offer are 67,500 square metres of commercial space, 25,900 square metres of retail floor space and 1390 residential apartments.

“We are seeking a long-term set of development partners for the next 10 to 15 years on the next major stages of the project,” Mr Knaggs said.

“It is the private sector’s role as the investor in those buildings which will produce the city centre in its entirety.”

Mr Knaggs said SunCentral expected this year to announce the university or college to be built on site.

Construction on commercial buildings in the first stage – which has already gone to market – was expected to start mid-2019, he said.

“The next three to five years will see significant building on stage 1A,” he said.

An eight-storey commercial property by local developer Evans Long and a two-tower 152-unit residential complex by Brisbane’s Habitat Development Group will start construction soon.

Work will start on the Sunshine Coast Regional Council’s new nine-storey headquarters in the next six months.

The site also includes the landing port for Australia’s newest undersea telecommunications cable.

The Sunshine Coast’s population is tipped to grow from 346,522 to 500,000 by 2036.