Land use adjacent campus
The land use surrounding the University of the Sunshine Coast includes a mixture of typically low rise, low density built form and natural landscape. Directly east of the campus, across Claymore Road, is Mooloolah River National Park.
While human activity within this park is not encouraged due to the ecosystem’s fragility, a more active reservation of open space is being developed to the south-east, between the southern border of the national park and the Mooloolah River.
Beyond the southern border of the campus, the Chancellor Park residential development stretches from Claymore Road to the Sunshine Motorway, west and north-west of the University.
Two schools occupy the land immediately on the campus’ western boundary: Siena Catholic Secondary School and Chancellor College Primary Campus. The Chancellor State College middle campus occupies a separate property immediately to the north of the University’s sporting precinct.
The land north of the campus across Sippy Downs Drive is proposed for a new town centre. The 2012 Campus Master Plan remains responsive to the opportunities provided by the development of the Sippy Downs Town Centre. It discusses a number of possible relationships which have been explored over both this, and previous phases of master planning – refer 6.3 Land Use & Facilities.
While the realisation of the Sippy Downs Town Centre may begin within the five year period of the 2012 Campus Master Plan, it is anticipated full development of this important precinct will require far longer.
Concurrently, development of a second town centre will begin in the short term to the south of Chancellor Park at Palmview. This development will be accompanied by additional residential development, with implications for the University’s student housing and transportation policy. These are discussed in further detail in sections 5. Transport and 6. Built Form.
Diagrams
Transportation networks in the immediate campus vicinity
A major pedestrian and cycling initiative is proposed to the south of the campus as part of the Palmview Structure Plan. This indicates a dedicated link through Chancellor Park, leading into the University on the GreenLink alignment. The link will eventually carry a high number of trips, and is thus likely to require a high quality, wide, segregated shared path.
A further on-road link may be included to the west of the campus, connecting to the southern end of Scholars Drive, before leading into the campus. This would also necessitate a high standard of provision.
The walkway and cycling path network to the north of the University is currently of uneven quality, with many of the paths failing to offer an interconnected public transportation network.
Six Translink bus routes directly service the University campus, either stopping or terminating at the USC Bus Interchange, which is located on the west side of the campus. Sunshine Plaza in Maroochydore operates as the major bus interchange regionally.
Passengers approaching from the northern areas of the Sunshine Coast are required to interchange at Maroochydore on many services, increasing delays and reducing the attractiveness of public transport as a mode choice.
The University Campus is accessible via the Bruce Highway-Sunshine Motorway from the south, the Sunshine Motorway-Claymore Road from the east and Stringybark Road from the north. The main access is via Sippy Downs Drive, the subject of an extensive ongoing Sunshine Coast Council upgrade, which will include on-road bicycle lanes.
In the long term, changes to the road network are proposed as part of the development of Palmview to the south of the University. A re-alingnment will also occur to Claymore Road, providing a connection over Sippy Creek.
A secondary north-south road connection is proposed to the west of Claymore Road. Using the alignment of Springhill Drive, this will again bridge Sippy Creek, and provide a connection to University Way, to collector roads in the network, and then to the arterial road network.
Further key future road upgrades will include the duplication of Kawana Way as part of the Sunshine Coast University Hospital, a southern extension of Corbould Road into Caloundra South and a southern extension of Claymore Road into the Palmview development area.
Karawatha Drive and Dixon Road to the north have recently been upgraded and include on-road bicycle lanes. Nicklin Way to the east will receive extensive upgrading as part of the CoastConnect program. Most of these road corridors are under the jurisdiction of TMR and function as the arterial network about the campus.