The owners of a 60-year-old beach shack destined for demolition to make way for a major road upgrade on the Sunshine Coast say they will keep fighting the council "until the end".
The two-bedroom holiday home, on Oval Avenue in Caloundra, was built by Drew Carey's grandparents.
He had hoped the property would remain in the family for decades to come.
"We always visited there when my grandparents were alive and have spent countless holidays there," Mr Carey said.
"Our extended family, cousins, and friends would come and cram in … with people sleeping on couches, mattresses … it's just a lovely place."
Mr Carey's 14-year-old son, Luke, said he loved the house just as much as his father did.
"I want to bring my kids there when I'm a dad," Luke said.
The Careys are among 20 home and business owners impacted by the Caloundra Transport Corridor Upgrade project, which was first mooted in the early 2000s.
Sunshine Coast Council has confirmed it has acquired 15 of the properties.
Mr Carey said they had initially been told all properties would be resumed by the end of June 2022, which was extended until March this year.
The five remaining owners have now been informed they have until June 30 to relocate to alternative premises.
"They [the council] have worn people down over time," Mr Carey said.
"When we were first contacted in 2018 they were saying that it could be all properties acquired and things built by mid-2021 into 2022 … that clearly was never a realistic time frame.
"We have certainly never considered giving in and we'll continue to oppose it right until the end."
'Monstrous' road
The Caloundra Transport Corridor Upgrade will include a 1.6-kilometre road that would link Omrah Avenue to Nicklin Way.
Sunshine Coast Council will spend $23.8 million on the upgrade, including $19.6 million on section 1.
Section 2 will cost $18.2 million and will be jointly funded by the three levels of government.
The road is aimed at alleviating congestion by providing an alternative route to and from the town's CBD.
Caloundra Residents Association President Graeme Smith said, while there was definitely a need for the link road, it was a "major highway".
"Four lanes of traffic plus an active transport lane, which means effectively about five lanes wide," Mr Smith said.
"And they're going to have six sets of traffic lights, so it's going to be a slow trail of cars going right through the middle of this suburb, through two very important parks and they're taking up part of the memorial gardens at the RSL.
"The size of it is just monstrous, really."
Value Caloundra member Prue Oswin said her group had been pushing for a two-lane road instead of four.
Ms Oswin, who is an active transport engineer, said four lanes would discourage people from crossing to reach the local school, shopping centre, and sporting clubs.
"With turning lanes, it's six lanes at some intersections … that's at the point where walking is no longer enjoyable. It no longer feels safe," Ms Oswin said.
'Highly embarrassed'
The project is in the 'detailed design' phase with construction scheduled to start later this year.
Sunshine Coast Council began acquiring properties before the detailed design had begun.
Veteran lawyer Peter Boyce represented 15 landowners affected by the project and said the council needed to show "respect".
"They are dealing with people, not a number in a computer," Mr Boyce said.
"This project and its delay should see the council highly embarrassed by what they have said to landowners from the start to now.
"The poor property owners are at the forefront of these statements issued by the council and its staff who, as usual, have no accountability telling people one thing and, when that doesn't work, just changing the goalposts again."
Done deal?
A Sunshine Coast Council spokesperson said negotiations were continuing with remaining landowners.
"Council has been liaising with directly impacted property and business owners over many years … and will continue to do so throughout the project," the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson said tens of thousands of motorists travelled through the Nicklin Way and Caloundra Road roundabout each day, with delays expected to "increase significantly by 2041".
"With the extension of Third Avenue and the upgrading of Oval Avenue and Third Avenue, access to and from the Caloundra CBD will significantly improve," the spokesperson said.
"By 2041, around 22,500 per day will be using the Third Avenue extension with a reduction of around 20,000 vehicles per day using the Nicklin Way and Caloundra Road roundabout."
Mr Carey said the council needed to come up with a better solution that catered for the growth but still maintained the quality of life for existing residents.
"A lot of that desire in that part of old Caloundra is to just have, you know, quiet residential amenity," he said.
"This corridor is just going to smash that."
