Plans for the Turbine food and beverage pilot precinct on the Sunshine Coast have collapsed after the project failed to secure sufficient commercial support to meet key funding milestones.
Turbine Sunshine Coast confirmed the proposed facility at the Sunshine Coast Industrial Park will not proceed in its originally scoped form after the board determined the project could not achieve the level of tenant commitment required to progress construction.
Construction was scheduled to begin in September 2025 under the terms of the project’s federal funding agreement, but the development failed to secure the necessary tenancy agreements to demonstrate long-term commercial viability.
Turbine CEO, Andrew Eves-Brown, said the outcome was disappointing for the organisation and its partners.
“This is clearly a disappointing outcome for Turbine and for the many stakeholders who contributed to the development of the concept,” Eves-Brown said.
“A range of factors contributed to the project not progressing, including the challenging commercial environment and the inability to secure sufficient market commitment to support the pilot’s originally scoped delivery.”
The Turbine project had been positioned as a shared manufacturing and product development hub designed to support emerging food and beverage companies with pilot-scale production, innovation facilities and commercialisation support.
Over several years the project had secured federal grant funding, attracted industry interest and progressed through planning stages, including appointing a CEO, calling for tenant expressions of interest and advancing construction planning.
However, tenant commitments were central to the funding structure, and without sufficient commercial backing the project could not meet the conditions required to release grant funding.
Turbine has now commenced formal closure processes and is working with the Federal Government to finalise reporting and acquittal requirements, including returning grant funding as required under the agreement.
The organisation confirmed all local businesses and suppliers engaged during the project have been paid for services provided.
The site, which had been secured through a call option arrangement, will now return to the market.
