Nexus Care & Nexus Church (Samford)
JOINT Development Application

Closeburn Country Garden
1850 Mount Samson Road
Yugar QLD 4520

Our HEART

In September 2023, Nexus Care and Nexus Church purchased Closeburn Country Garden, an established nursery now operating as a social enterprise of Nexus Care. All proceeds from the nursery go back into the community programs of Nexus Care, supporting vulnerable families and individuals throughout greater north Brisbane.

Customers of Closeburn Country Garden not only receive quality and affordable plants, but also contribute to allowing Nexus Care to provide annually:

- Over 340,000 healthy meals via fresh food parcels to households who would otherwise struggle to put food on the table;
- More than 14,500 breakfasts to students in local state schools who otherwise may not have eaten before class;
- Emergency financial relief to over 350 households;
- At least 500 moments of career coaching support for those seeking the dignity of paid work with a majority of participants achieving their desired employment or study outcomes; and
- Various community classes and events for more than 160 guests that foster care and connection (noting the epidemic of social isolation).

Nexus Care and Nexus Samford are passionate about contributing to the strength of the communities they are part of and working together to create spaces for community engagement and connection, whilst identifying and meeting the needs of people in the surrounding suburbs. “Nexus” simply means ‘a point of connection’ and our heart is to show genuine and practical care for the people in our local community. There’s simply no better place to provide love, care and connection than from a small yet fit-for-purpose location, surrounded by plants, and the smell of freshly brewed coffee amidst the beauty of this Valley.

For the last 4 years, Nexus Samford has provided a Sunday morning church service at various local halls or school classrooms for hire in Samford – typically the Samford Community Centre. This multi-purpose centre will also provide this local church with a permanent and stable location to better service its congregation, and the broader community. 

THE proposed building

A conservative barn style single story, multi-use, fit-for-purpose building has been proposed to enhance and add to the activities available for the surrounding community from the site. A coffee cart will be added to complement the existing retail Nursery and help provide a location that brings joy and peace to those that shop and visit.

Key features of the multi-use proposed building are:
- 1x Moderately sized gathering space – 126 seats 199m2
- 3x Small meeting rooms – 26m2 to be used for training, meetings, children’s activities
- 1x shared office space for Nexus Care and Church staff
- Small kitchenette, and amenities
- Small undercover playground
- Barn style features to keep with the aesthetics of the surrounding environment
- Situated on an existing cleared, low-elevation area to avoid tree removal & limit visibility from the road and neighbours
- Acoustically treated building and appropriate landscaping to support noise attenuation
- Off-street parking and installation of turning lanes to support traffic flow

Some artistic impressions and plans of the proposed building included in our initial application are shown here. Due to the ongoing process of our consultants addressing the Council’s information request, some of these renders and plans will be slightly modified.  

For absolute clarity, please note that there are no plans for future buildings or any significant expansion to the proposed development. This is a moderately sized building for a local community church and charity. This will not be run as a function centre, nor will there be a liquor license.

As part of the Development Application, it is also proposed to convert part of the existing Nursery administration building into a small coffee outlet so that Nursery clients can enjoy a coffee whilst buying plants. As with the proposed multi-purpose building, this coffee cart-style facility will not have a liquor license.

All religious, retail, community support programs and training activities undertaken onsite will be of low intensity, well managed and respectful of the rural setting to ensure there will be no unreasonable impacts on amenity of the area.

If you have any other questions, please email our Nexus Care Executive Manager & Nexus Church Samford Pastor,
Josh Plumb at [email protected]

WHAT’S NEXT

The development application is a long process with many stages. We are currently preparing a response to the City of Moreton Bay Council’s request for further information which we hope to submit sometime over the next few months. Once we submit our response, we will formally commence a time of further community consultation, engagement and notification.

There are a few practical ways you can support our development application over the coming months:
- Support Nexus Care’s community initiatives by choosing to buy your plants from Closeburn Country Garden, and choosing to donate via the Nexus Care website;
- Positively sharing your experience with Closeburn Country Garden, Nexus Care or Nexus Church with those in your community, via socials and to your local Councillor;
-Register for updates using the link below so we can contact you; and
- Submit a letter/email of support during the upcoming formal notification period.

We would also love you to join us in prayer throughout this process.