Aura Business Park – Civil Engineering Design & Superintendency
Located on the Sunshine Coast, Aura Business Park is one of the principal employment precincts within Aura, Australia’s largest masterplanned community. Coexisting with the Bells Creek North open-space corridor and sensitive wetlands, the precinct plays a critical role in supporting Aura’s long-term economic growth.
Since 2017, SMEC has led the Business Park’s civil design and delivery across Precincts 3–6, aligning roads, drainage and services with staged approvals to support on-time delivery for Stockland. Our remit as lead consultant has spanned master planning, detailed civil design, tendering, contract administration and superintendency, consultant coordination and EDQ PDA project coordination.
Prioritising place and delivery safely and sustainably
As a critical piece of the Aura masterplan, the Business Park precinct includes large-format industrial, warehouse, and retail uses. Across the Business Park, the lot program comprises 169 small–medium lots and 6 super-lots, with typical lots in the ~1,000–3,000 m² range.
- Precincts 3 & 4: light-industrial and business uses framed by safe heavy vehicle access, landscaped setbacks, premium frontage visuals and bio-retention to lift industrial amenity and address water quality
- Precinct 5: large-format commercial/trade supplies; primary-frontage treatments, connected pedestrian links and managed conflict points for visitor safety
- Precinct 6: a District Sports Park and two Linear Parks integrated with the Bells Creek open-space buffer prioritising protection, rehabilitation and passive recreation, with alignments and drainage designed to respect environmental habitat and flood immunity
134
hectares*
7.5
ha
district Sportspark
14.6
km
of footpaths
3.25
km
of new arterial roads
6.82
ha
of Wetlands & Bioretention
3.5
km
WSUD open channel drainage system
*business park footprint including adjacent section of Bells Creek Arterial
An integrated end-to-end delivery model
To turn the masterplan into a working industrial precinct, we delivered an integrated program of earthworks, roads, drainage, water, sewer and servicing works. The highlights below outline the packages we designed, certified and supervised.
Civil & subdivision
Comprised bulk earthworks, lot servicing and an industrial road hierarchy sized for heavy vehicles, with pavements, turning paths and access geometry tailored to warehousing and large-format retail delivery vehicles. Civil and subdivision packages progressed under the Economic Development Queensland (EDQ) Priority Development Area (PDA) framework, providing a streamlined assessment path and clear decision gates. SMEC built key relationships with Unitywater stakeholders to facilitate progression of stages Water Approvals under the Accreditation & Certification (A&C) process. SMEC also coordinated with Sunshine Coast Council to expedite compliance assessment checks for signalised intersections, which helped maintain program certainty while keeping safety and performance front of mind.
Transport & access
New and upgraded signalised intersections (with bus-lane provision), a major roundabout, pedestrian links and tie-ins to the Bells Creek Arterial (BCA) were delivered to unlock regional connectivity. Signalised intersections were modelled by SMEC to validate capacity and level-of-service against the performance criteria. This evidence-based approach supported approvals in the PDA context and ensured safe movement for heavy vehicles and general traffic and efficient operation for the high traffic volumes. Delivered packages included:
- ~2 km of 2-lane arterial interface works
- A 1.5 km four-lane link with dedicated bus lanes, operating as a six-lane footprint with turn lanes
- Three bridge structures at the Business Park/BCA interface: two road bridges (70 m and 140 m spans) and one pedestrian overpass (70m span)
Stormwater infrastructure
It was designed to the Queensland Urban Drainage Manual (QUDM) at minimal grades with tailwater constraints near Bells Creek. Overland flow paths, culverts and drainage channels maintain environmental flows and protect downstream water quality and mitigate flooding impacts. Continuous kerb inlets were deployed at selected locations to control flow width without resorting to high pit densities. SMEC supported Stockland in preparing environmental management plans that addressed revegetation, sediment control, flood resilience, and groundwater protection as well as geotechnical investigation and reporting for potential Acid Sulfate Soils.
4
signalised intersections
and 2 roundabouts
and 2 roundabouts
1
pedestrian overpass
(70m span)
(70m span)
2
road bridges
(70m and 140m spans)
(70m and 140m spans)
2
Linear Parks
over 1km each
over 1km each
169
small-medium lots
6
super lots
Utilities & servicing
SMEC planned and delivered trunk water and sewer extensions and internal reticulation, with design, inspection and certification under the EDQ Priority Development Area (PDA) pathway. Combined Services Plans (CSPs) drove clash detection, set depth priorities at crossings, to coordinate trenching between services. SMEC set the civil envelope and coordinated electrical/lighting interfaces, while our Unitywater A&C accredited Major Certifiers and Construction Certifiers streamlined construction, approvals and on maintenance.
District sports park
SMEC led civil design for car parking, playing fields, drainage and servicing and undertook coordination so the Baringa Sports Complex facility could be delivered for Sunshine Coast Council.
Project management and superintendency
Delivery was sequenced to enable early plan sealing and titles, with packages split to meet financial-year milestones. External intersections and enabling works were brought forward to unlock access sooner. Superintendent and contract administration services supported contractor productivity through design and construction peaks, while maintaining environmental controls and coordinating authority approvals and certifications. Learn more about our approach in The Golden Thread.
A future-ready business park
A connected, fully serviced business and logistics precinct, Aura Business Park is embedded into the Bells Creek landscape, with safe access delivered through signalised intersections, clear frontages, and continuous shared-path links. Delivery certainty has been sustained by disciplined staging, aligned approvals, and superintendent support, while trunk upgrades have future-proofed services and rationalised utility corridors.
Ready
to
connect?
Talk to one of our specialists about our role on the Aura Business Park project.