Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be give to letters of 100 words or less.
- Read the story: Desalination plant could be on ‘northern Sunshine Coast’
Didn’t I read quite a few years ago about a proposed desalination plant to be built on the Sunshine Coast?
From memory, it was going to be built somewhere near where the North Shore Multi Sports Complex at Mudjimba, but that was canned?
Rudy Formigoni, Marcoola
- Read the story:Â Popular island to close temporarily for tree removal
I saw that the local council will remove two big trees from a small island, to make it safe for people.
I know that we are getting short of big old trees with nesting holes for birds and other creatures. I wonder if council has checked for eggs and birds in those trees before deciding to chop?
Why not trim the trees so they are safe and still leave the homes for our native creatures?
Coralie Jessop
- Read the story: Bringing your dog to the caravan park? That will be another $5
I was shocked to read your article regarding fees being paid at camp sites for dogs.
I represent La Balsa Bow Wows, a dog walking group at Point Cartwright, and your article highlights the uncaring and discrimination towards dogs on the Sunshine Coast by the current council.
You mention the increase in fines to over $800, which is outrageous and as a council they have not taken into consideration the knock-on effect this will have in our community during this cost of living crisis. More dogs will be abandoned and pounds are becoming over full.
Our walkers at Point Cartwright have been decimated since December last year when new by-laws were introduced, restriciting beach access and days when dogs are to be walked there.
Many people are unaware of changes and are being fined this astronomical amount, especially visitors. It is not a very welcoming attitude to our visitors.
Vivienne Williams
This $5 per day per dog fee imposed at Sunshine Coast Council owned caravan parks is an unwarranted money grab by council.
They do not have to actually do anything for, nor provide physical amenities for dogs. Doggy poo bags are free worldwide and pet owners provide all the physical care and accommodations for their own dogs. It is a post-COVID caravan industry boom rip-off, as are the increased site fees.
I would prefer to free camp than pay for the dog I maintain.
Edna Bonuda, Yarrawonga, VictoriaÂ
The increases in fines for not having a dog under control are an increase of 160 per cent to $803.
This is not the fine for having a dog that has actually attacked a person or animal, this is the new fine for a dog not on a leash in an on-leash area.
In the current fiscal climate and at a time when state and local governments are handing out subsidies for everything from car rego, household rates and water charges, this 160 per cent increase cannot be justified by saying it gives dog owners “certainty” of responsibility.
The Sunshine Coast has I believe had a 10 per cent increase in dog attacks, which doesn’t factor in our population growth, but be that as it may, owners of dogs that attack should be totally accountable for such and it is here that such a large increase in fines may be justified.
G. Ryan, Caloundra
- Read the story: Work begins on ‘vertical’ retirement resort
I am dismayed to see this size of accommodation being built for retirees, families and aged care.
I cannot envisage living in a ‘box’. This is the type of development that is being permitted. This is not good for long-term mental health. As humans, it is important to be able to put feet on earth.
Couples living in retirement in this type of accommodation will be ‘under each other’s feet’. Residents will have no personal space to retreat to, not even a small garden. In the event of a lift being out of order, residents who cannot manage stairs are confined in their box. When council approved this type of development are they aware of the mental health implications of high-density living?
Also, only well-heeled retirees can afford to live like this, as long as they are physically and mentally able.
As a young person living in a home unit in Sydney in the ’60s, I am fully aware of the good and bad side of this high-density living.
Marlene Hoskin, Yandina
- Read the story:Â Appeal looms after supermarket application rejected
For as long as anyone remembers, the low-lying paddock at 22 Palmwoods-Montville Road has flooded during major rain events, which is probably obvious from its wide, flat topography and a small ‘creek’ running through it.
In my 23-plus years living not far from the location, I’ve seen water rise and flood the site numerous times during heavy rain events.
Significant earthworks have taken place there over the past 12 months in preparation for some sort of construction – either housing or a Coles supermarket. A high retaining wall and stormwater culvert has also been built around the raised area.
Water levels at the site attracted plenty of attention in January 2024 after what could be described as moderately significant rainfall – about 130mm over a 36-hour period – before it eased off over the following days
Based on my observations this ‘flood plain’ site has behaved in a very similar way as it has in previous heavy rain events. The new raised construction pad on the site and surrounding retaining walls don’t seem to have visibly altered the flood plain’s behaviour. I am open to be proved wrong with these observations.
Some other local observers on local social media also have said the ‘flood plain’ did what it was supposed to do.
However, others suggested that the water did appear to pool a little deeper more quickly than on previous occasions, and flow away more slowly, noting that ‘the real test’ would be during a rain event of 300mm-600mm, which has yet to occur to more seriously test the earthworks and modified water flows.
In my layperson’s position, I am moderately surprised personally that anyone would consider building on the site, but I guess the location is a great one commercially, being on the main road so close to the Margaret Street CBD, and it is up to the experts contracted by the developers and Sunshine Coast Council to ensure the flooding issues (and also other issues like traffic concerns) are properly addressed.
The earthworks that have taken place at the site have been monumental and extremely costly at a guess, so it suggests to me that some significant analysis has gone into assessing the water flow issue and major planning to aim to get the modifications right.
There is arguably a need for a larger supermarket in Palmwoods and the surrounds to improve convenience for shoppers who currently need to drive at least to Nambour for a wider range of groceries, the reduced prices of groceries at Coles as opposed to SPAR, and creation of local employment, among other things.
Palmwoods has experienced significant population growth in the past decade, and a local larger supermarket will also take traffic off the road between Palmwoods, Montville, Woombye etc and Nambour. This will take some pressure off the ‘one road in, one road out’ that is Palmwoods-Woombye Road, but that is mostly a separate issue.
I completely understand the community’s concerns surrounding this development – there is always concern that big corporations that enter small towns will damage the amenity of these towns, which is what we love and why we moved here. The developers of the site have attempted to address that by saying the supermarket will be moderate in size and include only one additional specialty (liquor) store.
The smaller SPAR supermarket does seem to fit more neatly in with the ‘small town feel’ of Palmwoods, but it’s also worth noting that the ‘small town’ moniker is slowly becoming less accurate as significant housing development continues and the population increases. It seems to be somewhat of a battle between the nostalgia of what we have here today, and what we will be in the future.
Richard Bruinsma, Palmwoods
- Read the story: Family camping restrictions loom after dingo attacks
I have 40 years’ experience with dingoes, in the wild and in captivity.
For more secure safety, people must adhere to all rules that are clearly set out and displayed on K’gari. Dingoes themselves are not dangerous to humans if people do the right thing by not encouraging interaction, not feeding them and not running. Then, they do not pose a threat. Dingoes are wild native apex land predators, not some cute-looking dogs.
It is cruel and unnecessary to destroy dingoes for just being dingoes. They pay the ultimate price by losing their life for human error. After all, K’gari is a magnificent wilderness area with wild animals, not a tourism playground. Respect country and all that reside.
You see, once a wild animal becomes accustomed to human interaction, they lose their natural fear and wariness from us.
K’gari has a human traffic problem, not a dingo problem.
Jen Parker, Foster, Victoria
I think that these dogs should not be placed above humanity.
They could be shut out from the beach areas, and with a bit of bushcraft could be taught how far to stay away from campers in order to conserve their gene pool, safely enjoying their families.
Rod Stockton, Sunrise Beach
- Read the story: Call for more infrastructure as Coast again tops migration list
The road system on the Sunshine Coast is well past its use-by date and roadworthiness.
Before asking for more funds, how about politicians just start fighting for the funds we already had but were taken from us by the Labor government, like the Mooloolah River Interchange for one.
Derek Kanngiesser, MinyamaÂ
- Read the story: Multimillion-dollar funding for sections of Coastal Pathway
The Coastal Pathway should be upgraded from Golden Beach to the Pelican Waters area.
Darren Ellis, Rothwell
- Read the story: Council’s e-scooter experiment looks set to wind up
As a 79-year-old and keen walker I do not support the use of e-scooters and e-bikes on our walking paths, as you don’t hear them coming and they are often at speed.
Jan Tydd, Maroochydore
These devices and rental options only serve to pollute areas with discarded devices and also pose a traffic and safety threat. Keep them wide away and you will not regret your decision.
By the way, private ownership of these transport devices is also becoming a safety hazard and poorly regulated and policed users are becoming quite a nuisance and clearly a grave safety concern.
John Llorente, Bokarina
- Read the story: Submissions open for plans on up to 570 homes on farm
I understand and appreciate the need for land on the Sunshine Coast to be made available for more social and mixed housing to be built. There is a real need to house our swelling population.
At the same time, as a long-term resident of the Coast, I am sad that Wises Farm is being sold. Its green and open fields have long been soft on the senses, and a welcoming buffer to the daily din of traffic.
On the one hand, this is a large parcel of land well located to house more people, offset by a quality-of-life loss to the community, if the sale eventuates.
The old saying says it all: “Progress is great, if only it would stop.”
Jan Jarman, BuderimÂ
- Read the story: Eight-storey affordable housing proposal in fast-track process
This project is being fast-tracked as it is poorly designed for the area with no due diligence.
Brisbane Housing Company showed a complete disregard to the numerous concerns raised at the meeting with Birtinya residents on August 10 about the lack of car parks at this proposed facility, from people that live here and understand the dynamics of this street. Locals were trying to advise them that people visiting or working at the hospital often try to use private car parks to avoid paying parking fees. The current buildings on this street all have at least one permanent car space per dwelling plus visitor spaces, and this is still an issue. Adding another building with grossly underwhelming car spaces and significantly more dwellings (compared to any previous plans for the site) will magnify this problem for everyone.
It should be pointed out the original master plan was only zoned for 60 domestic dwellings. This proposal is for 90 dwellings – this alone should not be approved. The 60 dwellings might have allowed for considerations to the broader community and street impact, allowing for an exit to Florey Boulevard to be included in the design, not to mention a car park for every bedroom plus visitor spaces.
This area is filled by families and there are many residential retirees living nearby. There is not a lot of activities in this immediate area. People living here need access to a car or need to be in a stage of their life where they are settled.
Bright Place has no on-street parking and council will not allow residents to get a parking permit. It is a dead-end street with only one entrance and exit, and already has over 180 dwellings in 60m (Revive, Salt and Aquarius), with a multi-level car park entrance. It is suggested that the parking dynamics on this street are possibly the only one of its kind in the whole of Queensland.
It is not the possibility of a build here that is the issue – something will be built. Rather it is the design and cost-cutting on car parks and subjecting the tenants to social isolation without access to a car or enough visitor spaces, the outcome of which will not be good for anyone. There are no train lines nearby to Bright Place and public transport networks need serious improvements.
Helping people into affordable accommodation should not be at expense of good design and predisposing people to social isolation. All of these issues are avoided by more car spaces with onsite management. The other option is choosing a nearby location where these very unusual council parking regulation combinations do not exist.
Nick Clarke, Birtinya
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be give to letters of 100 words or less.
