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Subscriber only A new chairman will oversee the Maroochydore city centre project for the next six months after former chairman Dr Doug McTaggart relinquished his role. Dr McTaggart s tenure expired on Friday. Sunshine Coast Council has reappointed fellow board members Morgan Parker, Alison Quinn and Paul McLean as directors of SunCentral for a further two years. The council also confirmed its support to the board for Mr Parker to be the new chairman until the end of October. Sunshine Coast Council Mayor Mark Jamieson said the trio along with continuing director Peter Sherrie would provide excellent stewardship to move SunCentral into its next phase of operations.
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Subscriber only Change is on the way for the council-owned development company overseeing the new Maroochydore CBD project. Sunshine Coast Council has taken action to ensure its SunCentral Maroochydore development company overseeing the new city centre project could continue to operate as a corporate entity, with a new chair of the SunCentral board to be appointed. Current chairman Dr Doug McTaggart has told Mayor Mark Jamieson he does not wish to renew his position. His tenure was due to expire on April 30, along with fellow board members Morgan Parker, Alison Quinn and Paul McLean, while Peter Sherrie s stint is not due to expire until September 30.
FUTURE: Renders of the future city centre.
The major firm was announced as development partner in a deal which was spruiked to bring $2.5 billion worth of investment into the new CBD.
Sunshine Coast Council made the announcement in November last year, with the deal involving council, Walker Corporation and council-owned SunCentral Maroochydore.
As part of the deal, Walker Corporation would deliver up to 160,000sq m of commercial and retail space and about 4000 residential apartments.
Plans were set to be scoped out for the northern and southern areas of the site for mixed-use development. FUTURE: Renders of the future city centre.
Tourism and Hospitality Services AustralAsia managing director Rodger Powell said the construction would show prospective developers they too could plan and receive approval for an international hotel on the Coast.
âThis is the first major hotel built on the Sunshine Coast in 30 years,â he said.
â Everything else has been either a strata-titled apartment complex or a motel.
âIt will open up the Sunshine Coast to new markets seeking the assurance of international hotels brands and hotel facilities and services.â An artist s impression of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Sunshine Coast hotel in the new Maroochydore CBD.
The new nine-storey hotel on First Ave will feature 181 rooms, a rooftop swimming pool, bar and dining venue, conference and function facilities, parking and ground-level retail space.
Its operating expenses were $1.92 million last year with $1.17 million attributed to staff costs. SunCentral CEO John Knaggs at the Maroochydore city centre for the announcement of the development agreement between Sunshine Coast Council and Walker Corporation. Staff salaries totalled $609,302 last year, excluding the chief executive officer John Knaggs. Its annual report stated employee benefits and remuneration for Mr Knaggs and the non-executive directors was $832,847, after he and the board agreed to a 15 per cent pay cut between April and June in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A council spokesman said staffing changes at SunCentral was a matter for SunCentral. Mr Knaggs said via a statement that over coming months the arrangements involving council and SunCentral would be refined and reviewed to match the needs of the project.