Bid puts spotlight on land dealings

THE auction of a Kulangoor land parcel today will shine a further spotlight on property purchases by Sunshine Coast Council.

THE auction of a Kulangoor land parcel today will shine a further spotlight on property purchases by Sunshine Coast Council.

The Sunshine Coast Daily revealed last week that council ultimately paid $4.33 million for flood-prone cane land that had been priced at $650,000 only 18 months earlier.

The development approval attached to the land for a solar farm is now in doubt, the subject of a Planning and Environment Court appeal.

The council today will attempt to sell a 30.5ha parcel of land at Upper Ferntree Creek Rd initially purchased by the former Maroochy Shire Council for $2.48 million as the site of a proposed bio-reactor project.

The new Sunshine Coast Council acted against staff advice, dumping the waste plan in November, 2008.

The former lychee farm once owned by the late businessman, farmer and novelist Andy Flower will be auctioned at Buderim Ginger's Yandina factory from 5pm.

It has attracted plenty of buyer interest but is not expected to come close to council's purchase price.

The council also paid $7.7 million for 200ha of land owned by developer Graeme Juniper bordering the Mooloolah River National Park and $43 million for the Horton Park Golf Course.

In February, 2010, it stepped in at the last moment to pay $8.75 million for part of a parcel of Buderim land being auctioned by a failed development company.

The council's offer for a 3.4ha south-facing slice of the parcel was more than the $5 million industry observers had expected the whole site to realise.

Today's auction describes the Kulangoor land as "surplus to council requirements".

It includes a large 15x35m shed with three-phase power, an amenities block and upper level office space; a 6 x 8m fertilising shed and large concreted machinery shed including a 7 x 2m relocatable office and a 6 x 10m coldroom with double entry.

There is also an underground automatic irrigation system driven by a three-phase Southern Cross pump serviced by a large dam with good catchment, a house site over looking the dam and 4ha of netted crops including 1200 Kwai-may-pink trees and 4ha un-netted including 800 Salathiel and 400 Wai-chee trees.

It has been marketed by Peter Flint of Elders Nambour.

Originally published as Bid puts spotlight on land dealings