Sunshine Coast town sends further residential development years down the track

A former councillor has been left disappointed with a decision to delay housing and community development at a Sunshine Coast town – going against regional trends.

One of the Sunshine Coast’s oldest towns is pushing back against more residential development to protect its rich history and character.

Development of 36ha of rural and farmland at Yandina has been delayed by at least three years after a councillor’s plea for sustainable housing was supported by a slim one-vote majority.

Councillor David Law called for the blocks on Steggalls Rd and Brandons Rd to remain as rural until after 2024, when he hoped the region’s infrastructure would be in better shape.

Yandina and District Community Association president Marie Reeve said the region needed better footpaths and parks before more housing development was given the go ahead.

She said children and parents were “risking their lives” while walking to school.

“Unlike planned greenfield sites where provision has to be made upfront for community infrastructure such as bike and foot paths, parks, playgrounds, schools and utilities, towns like Yandina have been forced to accept growth from subdivisions and infill developments,” she said.

Division 10 councillor David Law. Picture: John McCutcheon

“Footpaths start and end adjacent to new estates with plenty of missing links.”

She said the skate facility and local parks were in need of an upgrade and parking spaces were already under pressure.

Former Maroochy Shire Council deputy mayor Trevor Thompson did not agree with the decision and said now the town would be years from having a facility for its ageing population.

Part of the land at Brandons Rd was earmarked for a community facilities zoning which would have allowed for an aged care facility or over 50s resort.

Yandina resident Marie Reeve wants basic infrastructure upgraded throughout the township before more residential development is allowed to go ahead.

Mr Thompson said the first term councillor’s decision reflected a “noisy minority”.

“At the moment you can’t retire and grow old in your own town in Yandina,” he said.

“The land at Brandons Rd is the best block of land you could get for aged care.”

Mr Thompson said every town experienced growing pains.

Trevor Thompson would have liked to see rural and farm land rezoned for housing and community development.

“I don’t think Yandina is anti development – ask the thousands of people who have moved here in the past six years,” he said.

“You can’t stop development but you can manage it.”

Mr Law said the region needed upgrades to basic infrastructure and to make sure schools could cope with increased demand.

He said the response to his decision was overwhelmingly positive.

“It’s about allowing Yandina to be able to catch up with its infrastructure requirements before bringing online more land into the residential zones,” Mr Law said.

“What the people of Yandina want is good development (and) some of the things that are put forward don’t look like that.

Yandina Hotel.

“Over the past three years 194 dwellings have been provided in Yandina … and we currently have capacity for 580 more.

“We have plenty of capacity for growth.”

The more than 150-year-old hinterland town is among the Sunshine Coast’s oldest and has an estimated population of about 8000 people.

According to the Sunshine Coast Council its population grew by 3.17 per cent in the year to 2020, at a faster rate than Brisbane’s 1.87 per cent.

Mr Law’s motion delayed rezoning changes at Yandina until the 2024 planning scheme.

The proposed change was in response to the blocks being added to Yandina’s Urban Footprint in the South East Queensland Regional Plan.

Yandina is expected to have more residential development within coming years.

It would have allowed for development of more homes and community facilities.

Mr Law’s motion was supported by Christian Dickson, Joe Natoli, Maria Suarez and deputy mayor Rick Baberowski.

Councillors Terry Landsberg, Peter Cox, Ted Hungerford and Jason O’Pray voted against it.

Mayor Mark Jamieson did not vote due to a perceived conflict of interest which arose from electoral donations.

Originally published as Sunshine Coast town sends further residential development years down the track