As mentioned in our October 2024 Noosa 360 update, NRA Collective were the successful proponents in the 2021 Expressions of Interest (EOI) period. In response to Sandy’s question during the 2025 Estimates Hearings, the Minister for Training updated that the former Tewantin TAFE site was transferred to the proponents in April 2025.
We have been advised the proponents have since been doing another assessment on the buildings which over the past four years have continued to deteriorate substantially from their original assessment. We have requested to be updated on progress and reiterated the importance of also reassessing community needs which also may have changed since 2021.
Regarding any plans/work they commence to restore/ repurpose or rebuild on the site from our understanding would be subject to Noosa Council planning approval, similar to any other development. We wrote to Noosa Council to confirm this and have been provided the following in italics as a response. This outlines that any future development will most likely trigger planning assessment.
The former TAFE site at 24 Cooroy-Noosa Road, Tewantin is subject to the Community Facilities Zone and the Environmental Management and Conservation Zone.
In these zones, any future development will most likely trigger planning assessment. To date, no planning applications have been received.
We recently investigated a concern relating to vegetation removal, a compliance officer conducted a site inspection observing maintenance clearing within an existing, previously cleared corridor designated for infrastructure and services. The property owner is lawfully permitted to maintain this corridor.
To contact Noosa Council, email mail@noosa.qld.gov.au or call 5329 6500.
Given the site is no longer under the auspices of any level of government, as a community we can only seek that the purposes align with Noosa’s needs and expectations, and Sandy will continue to advocate for this.
Further information
For our previous Noosa 360 updates on the Decommissioned Tafe Site, please visit www.sandybolton.com/?s=Decommissioned+Tafe+site. To summarise the history, Sandy has been advocating for the decommissioned Noosa TAFE site to be utilised to benefit our community, since it was closed by the State Government without community consultation back in 2014. This long journey, and after Noosa Council rejected the opportunity to purchase the site in 2020, culminated in the EOI process mentioned earlier with successful proponents chosen, the only hurdle remaining being the finalisation of Native Title processes over the Noosa region, which was completed in late 2024.
Updates on many local matters are available on Noosa 360 at www.sandybolton.com/noosa360. To receive information straight to your email inbox, please subscribe to our monthly newsletter via www.sandybolton.com/newsletters. This also ensures you receive any future Noosa related surveys or polls.