Whitsunday Regional Council has lodged a material change of use application for stage one of its planned $30 million regional sports precinct at Cannon Valley, advancing a project backed by a $15 million federal grant. The first stage would include five lit rectangular playing fields, courts, clubhouses, parking and internal roads, with completion targeted for the end of 2027 if approved.
Whitsunday Regional Council has lodged a material change of use application for stage one of its planned regional sports precinct at Cannon Valley, moving the $30 million project into the formal approvals process.
The application is the latest milestone for the Whitsunday Regional Sports Precinct, which is backed by a $15 million federal grant and is intended to ease pressure on existing sporting facilities across the region.
Planning documents say stage one is designed to deliver five lit rectangular playing fields, with four of them featuring cricket oval overlays. The first stage would also include five netball courts, six tennis courts and four pickleball courts.
Other proposed works include spectator seating, clubhouses, storage facilities, car parking and internal road connections.
From funding to lodgement
Federal funding for the Cannonvale Community Hub and sports precinct was announced in January 2025, giving the project its initial financial backing.
Whitsunday Regional Council then endorsed the sports precinct master plan in December 2025, setting out a broader long-term vision for the site before the current application was lodged on June 22, 2026.
The precinct is planned for a 95-hectare site between Proserpine and Airlie Beach near Gregory-Cannon Valley Road. The application says council purchased the land in 2010 because of its central location and largely flood-free topography.
Council has framed the project as a response to a regional shortage of sporting capacity, saying existing facilities do not have room to meet demand.
What the first stage includes
The current application focuses on the first stage of the precinct, not the full master plan.
Planning material says the stage one layout is intended to support both community sport and event use, with the mix of fields and courts designed to provide more flexible local infrastructure.
The broader master plan goes well beyond that initial build. Future concepts include an indoor sports centre, an Olympic-size swimming pool, BMX facilities, athletics infrastructure, equestrian facilities and land reserved for a future P-12 school.
The council has previously positioned the precinct as a long-term community asset and a potential sports-tourism draw for the region.
What happens next
The application will be open for public feedback for at least 15 business days.
After submissions close, council will review the responses and decide whether to approve the material change of use.
If the application is approved, detailed design work and construction staging can move ahead. Planning documents say stage one is targeted for delivery by the end of 2027, subject to weather, approvals and detailed design work.
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