130 place service planned for Sunshine Coast growth belt 

A new early childhood education and care (ECEC) service has been proposed for Nirimba, a suburb of Caloundra South, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast. 

The 130 place service has been put forward by Nirimba ELC Property One Pty Limited, proposed for a 3200sqm block on the corner of Nirimba Drive and an as-yet unformed road, conveniently located 200m south of Nirimba State School and 100m north of Banya Avenue.

The neighbourhood for the proposed development is currently under construction, however once this is complete, the service would, if approved, sit within a community hub, which also comprises a neighbourhood retail centre, a civic park and a neighbourhood recreation park, all of which open up onto Aura Brook.

Plans for the building show eight playrooms opening on to an outdoor play area which wraps around to the west, north and east, with carparking on the southern side. The downstairs space will hold the bulk of service operations, with a staff retreat and adult toilets upstairs. 

Onsite parking will be available for 38 vehicles, with one dedicated space for a driver with a disability permit. The current regulations require one parking space for every five children, plus 20 spaces for staff. As such, the current parking allocation falls short of the 46 parking spaces required. 

A developer report addresses this, saying that 38 spaces should be sufficient based on modelling at other centres, the fact that on-street parking is available, and that the centre would be close to residential catchments where customers are likely to walk or cycle.

The development application is awaiting assessment by Economic Development Queensland, which approves development in priority development areas such as Caloundra South.

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