Noosa Council closes in on TAFE site purchase

Noosa Council was poised to take ownership of the former Tewantin TAFE site, ending a "bizarre impasse” which has frustrated the community for years.

FLASHBACK: The Tewantin-Noosa TAFE campus in better days. Picture: Contributed

NOOSA Council was poised to take ownership of the former Tewantin TAFE site, ending a "bizarre impasse” which has frustrated the community for more than four years.

Councillors will vote in Thursday's ordinary meeting on a motion moved by Mayor Tony Wellington to attempt to purchase the 11ha site off the State Government for $1.7 million.

The TAFE closed under the LNP in 2014, after its student body reduced from 700 pupils to 200.

If successful, further reports will be put together exploring options for the site.

The highly strategic site posed little risk to the council's financial position if it went ahead with the purchase and Cr Wellington said any movement towards use of the site "would be better than the absurd impasse of the past four years”.

"There has been considerable community interest in the future of the site, and the moth-balling of the facility remains a source of frustration for many residents,” he wrote.

Sandy Bolton outside her new office at Noosa Civic. Picture: Alan Lander

Noosa MP Sandy Bolton had recently helped to speed up the process, having prioritised the transfer of the TAFE both as a councillor and when she was elected to State Parliament.

She said it was "very exciting” to know the TAFE may soon be in the community's hands.

She said the three separate buildings provided a range of options and she hoped some sort of training hub or centre of excellence could be established.

"It's been a long journey,” Ms Bolton said.