Queensland is getting a massive new outdoor festival venue, as the state government approves two adjoining developments.
Queensland’s Crisafulli government has approved the development of a major new a new outdoor music festival and exhibition event site from the Comiskey Group. Located at Coochin Creek near Caloundra the venue is expected to operate year round, with capacity for up to 35,000 punters, and follows the approval last week of a 150 site tourist park nearby, also to be developed by the Comiskey Group.
When finished, the two sites, collectively known Coochin Fields, will be one of the largest festival sites in Australia, stretching the length of 22 football fields. The Group said they planned to hold “Coachella-style” events at the site, in addition to other uses.
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, Jarrod Bleijie, who called in the application in July, was effusive in assessing the potential positive impact of the development, pausing only briefly to stick the boot into the previous Labor government.
“During their decade of decline, Labor’s restrictive planning laws strangled investment and drove investment away, but the Crisafulli Government is taking decisive action to restore confidence and unlock economic opportunities across the region,” Mirage News quotes Bleijie as saying.
“Coochin Fields is exactly the type of opportunity the Crisafulli Government is determined to support as we rebuild and grow the state’s tourism industry. A major play and stay venue like this that can host big acts in the region is something the cultural, musical and tourism industry had been crying out for during Labor’s decade of decline.”
They can’t help themselves. But QMusic Chief Executive Officer Kris Stewart was quite enthusastic too, saying, “We have been calling for more large-scale dedicated music venues for a long time and Coochin Fields will be a tremendous new asset to the music industry. Having this kind of investment in a festival and music venue will be a boon both for Queensland audiences and artists.”
Having said that, it hasn’t been green lights all the way for the proposed development. As per Australian Leisure Management, the approvals came after the State Assessment and Referrals Agency (SARA) found no demonstrated public interest for the development to proceed. The Sunshine Coast Council also raised concerns about bushfire risks, traffic problems, environmental impacts.
To that end, the approval comes with 95 conditions that must be met to assuage the concerns of both SARA and local community groups, including environmental safeguards, wildlife management strategies, and operational plans to minimise the impact on the adjacent wetlands.
The entire project is expected to support more than 680 jobs and generate more than $70 million in annual economic activity for the Sunshine Coast.
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