A coalition of ten Sunshine Coast community and environmental organisations has expressed deep concern following Planning Minister Jarrod Bleijie MP’s decision to approve substantial changes to key development conditions for the Comiskey Group’s Big4+ Tourist Park at Coochin Creek, located within the ecologically significant Pumicestone Passage and the Inter‑Urban Break green belt.

The Coalition notes that serious environmental, safety, traffic and operational concerns already existed following the Minister’s contentious call-in approval on 17 April this year. At the time, those conditions were publicly described as providing “strong safeguards for the environment and visitor safety”  and the result of a comprehensive assessment.

However, the majority of the developer’s requested changes have now been approved, many in full, resulting in conditions being weakened, removed or amended. This has occurred despite objections from the Sunshine Coast Council as the ‘Affected Entity’ and widespread community concerns, and without any updated environmental or operational assessments - areas that were already lacking. Only a small number of the requested changes were refused.

Key Concerns About Weakened Conditions

Approved changes include:

• Removal of the cap on the number of people accommodated on site (previously limited to 600 persons based on 75 cabins and 75 campsites).
• Amendments affecting core operational elements, including water supply, bushfire and flood risk management, traffic, and amplified music controls.
• Increased noise, light, litter and disturbance impacts on wildlife, including threatened species.
• Expanded scope of site use, access and operational intensity.
• Reduction of ecological buffers.
• Encroachment into ecologically sensitive riparian areas, mangroves and wetland systems which would degrade these values, to privatise access to Pumicestone Passage—this is the Roys Road esplanade public reserve, not the developer’s land
• Approval of unrestricted personal helicopter use by the developer, despite the original condition reasonably limiting helicopter activity to emergency use only.

Greater Risk to Matters of National Environmental Significance

The development sits within a highly sensitive and interconnected ecological system, including:

• Pumicestone Passage
• Moreton Bay Marine Park
• Ramsar‑listed wetlands of international importance
• Critical habitat supporting more than 33,000 annual migratory shorebirds
• Wildlife habitats and ecosystems

These environments are protected under national and international frameworks and require rigorous, evidence‑based decision‑making.

Concerns Regarding Process and Transparency

The Coalition is alarmed that:

• The approved changes were not supported by updated assessments or cumulative impact analysis.
• The Ministerial call-in process continues to provide no opportunity for community input or objection
• The practical effect of the changes will further increase pressure on crucial ecosystems and significantly impact the peaceful amenity of the area.

The Coalition stresses that even small changes to conditions will have significant cumulative impacts on the sensitive coastal and wetland environments of this location - particularly when combined with the Comiskey’s associated mega music festival and exhibition development nearby. 

Call for Federal Assessment

Given the environmental context of the site, the intensification of this development and the weakening of conditions the Community Coalition is escalating its call for;

• Referral of both projects under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act for independent assessment of potential impacts to Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES) and federal oversight
• Transparent, science‑based evaluation of cumulative environmental risks.

A Broader Issue for Planning Integrity

“This is not just about one development,” a spokesperson for the Coalition said.

 “It raises broader questions about how major development applications are being assessed and how fundamental approval conditions are enforced—particularly when those conditions are subsequently changed at the request of the developer to the Planning Minister.

Communities should have confidence that essential safety and critical environmental safeguards, especially in areas of national significance, are robust, transparent and upheld over time.”

About the Coalition

The Community Coalition comprises local environmental organisations, community groups and advocacy bodies committed to protecting the ecological integrity, water quality and long‑term resilience of the Pumicestone Passage and its surrounding catchment, including the Regional Inter-Urban Break

Media Contacts

Narelle McCarthy, Sunshine Coast Environment Council: 0424 465 487

Sue Diserens, Northern Inter-Urban Break Integrity Association: 0423 522 521

Melva Hobson, OSCAR: 0433 214 320

Background information

Development application material 1807 Roys Road East, Coochin Creek