Maroochydore City Centre developer SunCentral to appoint new chairperson on two-year deal
Council-owned Maroochydore CBD developer SunCentral has appointed a new chairman on a $120k a year wage while the group’s role and future is still under review.
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A Maroochydore City Centre development body that is costing the council millions of dollars is appointing a new chairman on a $120,000 a year salary.
The Sunshine Coast Council-formed development body SunCentral will a continuing role in the Maroochydore CBD project, where Walker Corporation has exclusive development rights.
The group was formed in 2015 to oversee the design and delivery of the city centre but its role has been under review by the council after Walker Corporation became involved in November 2020.
SunCentral on Thursday morning confirmed board director was re-elected Morgan Parker to continue as the group’s chairperson until 2023.
Mr Parker appointed as one of five inaugural directors in March 2015 and has been the chair since May 1 this year after Dr Doug McTaggart did not renew his position.
“Morgan Parker brings to the role strong commercial expertise in delivering major city shaping projects the scale of the Maroochydore City Centre and extensive global experience in masterplanned urban development, investment banking and marketing,” Mayor Mark Jamieson said.
Mr Parker is one of three on the board of directors with Alison Quinn and Paul McLean.
The directors are also locked in until 2023 on $70,000 a year salaries.
The chair will join Suncentral’s board with three directors, including Mr Parker, Alison Quinn and Paul McLean, each with annual salaries of about $70,000 and locked in until 2023.
It comes as Suncentral’s 2020-21 annual report revealed Suncentral’s operating costs totalled $1.8m last year with $1.14m being staff costs.
Salaries for non-executive directors and the CEO John Knaggs went up from $832,847 in 2019-20 to $843,377 in 2020-21.
The board took a 15 per cent pay cut between April and June 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Employee costs went down from $609,000 to $528,000.
Council chief of staff Craig Matheson said during a meeting this month that the review of SunCentral was in the working draft stage.
A council spokeswoman said an update on SunCentral’s role would be issued once the review was finalised.
“A governance and resourcing review is underway associated with council’s and SunCentral’s respective roles in relation to the Maroochydore City Centre project, following the execution of the Maroochydore City Centre Development Agreement with Walker Maroochydore Pty Ltd in November 2020,” she said.
Walker Corporation was handed exclusive development rights of the area in November last year.
Foundation Place was the first commercial building to open in the Maroochydore CBD and construction has started on a new council city hall, an apartment and retail complex named Market Lane and the Holiday Inn Express motel.
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