Ediblescapes has received notice that its Deed of Licence at Country Paradise Parklands will not be renewed, placing the future of this community edible forest garden at immediate risk.
This page provides the correspondence received from the City, Ediblescapes’ responses, current developments and a petition asking the elected Council to review the decision and hold the notice to vacate in abeyance while that review occurs.
Following the Notice of Non-Renewal, more than 100 community members signed a petition asking the elected Council to receive a report enabling review of the administrative decision affecting Ediblescapes.
The petition also asked that the requirement to vacate by 14 September 2026 be held in abeyance until Council made its formal decision.
The City formally received the petition on 21 August 2026 and confirmed that it met the requirements for presentation to Council.
On 25 August 2026, Division 5 Councillor Peter Young presented the petition at the 870th Council meeting. Council resolved to receive the petition and refer it to a committee for consideration.
The City Secretary subsequently advised that a report will address:
On 31 August 2026, the City offered to extend Ediblescapes’ existing licence agreement temporarily until 27 November 2026, under its existing terms and conditions. The stated purpose of the extension is to provide sufficient time for an internal report to be prepared and presented to Council concerning the long-term future of Ediblescapes’ occupation and activities at Country Paradise Parklands.
Ediblescapes accepted the temporary extension in writing and expressed its sincere appreciation for this constructive step.
The petition has therefore achieved two important immediate outcomes: it brought the community’s request formally before the elected Council and created time for the matter to be considered before Ediblescapes is required to leave the garden.
The long-term future of Ediblescapes has not yet been determined. We will continue to keep petitioners and the wider community informed as the review proceeds.
Petition collection is closed. We sincerely thank everyone who signed, collected signatures, shared testimony and supported the living garden.
Following the Notice of Non-Renewal, Ediblescapes supporters signed a petition asking the elected Council to receive a report enabling a review of the administrative decision affecting the garden.
The petition also asked that the Notice requiring Ediblescapes to vacate by 14 September 2026 be held in abeyance until Council made its formal decision.
The petition was formally received by the City on 21 August 2026. On the same date, the City Secretary confirmed that it met the requirements for presentation to Council.
More than 100 community members signed the petition.
On 25 August 2026, Councillor Peter Young presented the petition at the Council meeting. Council voted to receive the petition and refer the matter for further consideration.
The petition therefore achieved its immediate purpose: bringing the community’s request formally before the elected Council and opening a pathway for further consideration.
The Council vote did not itself determine whether the administrative decision would be reversed. Ediblescapes is now awaiting official information about the referral, the review process and the status of the Notice to vacate.
Petition collection is closed. We sincerely thank everyone who signed, collected signatures, returned completed sheets and shared their experience of the Ediblescapes Living Garden.
Naomi Lacey, Director
National Recognition · Community Garden Leadership
Dr Tammi Jonas: Focal Point for Farmers, AFSA
National Recognition · Agroecology · Food Sovereignty · Experiential Learning
Long-term Observation · Living Landscape Processes · Public Learning
Ediblescapes is more than a garden. It is a place where people learn, share food and knowledge, build relationships and experience belonging within a living landscape.
The following testimonies have been shared by community members in support of Ediblescapes and its continuation. Their voices demonstrate the educational, ecological, cultural and social value the garden has created through years of community care.
“We have visited regularly ever since, watching it evolve, learning about the plants and using that knowledge in our own garden.”
“This community-led living edible garden is a role model which I believe can be shared across the Gold Coast, Queensland and Australia.”
“This isn’t simply about losing a garden. It is about losing a living example of what our future could look like.”
“It’s absolutely inspirational what this community has created, literally from the ground up.”
“By being part of the Ediblescapes community, I gained knowledge I never thought possible.”
“To know this place exists creates warmth, calmness, a sense of community and peace.”
“The community spirit and educational aspects have so much value to everyone who uses the gardens.”
“It is a place of meeting, giving, receiving, meaning, education and community.”
“It has been a wonderful community-garden networking and learning opportunity for generations of families.”
“Younger residents need to be encouraged to grow the food they eat.”
“It is a communal space and a necessity in today’s urban sprawl.”
“Please leave it alone—it does many good things for the people who go there.”
Have you visited, volunteered, learned, harvested, shared food or participated in an activity at Ediblescapes?
Your experience can help demonstrate why this living garden matters. We invite you to share a short reflection describing what Ediblescapes has contributed to you, your family or the wider community.
Email your testimony to ediblescape.nerang@gmail.com.
Please state whether you give permission for your name and testimony to be published on the Ediblescapes website.
Follow the events concerning the City’s decision not to renew Ediblescapes’ Deed of Licence. Read the correspondence, access supporting documents and learn how to support the petition requesting Council review.
Ediblescapes received formal notice that the City would not renew its Deed of Licence. The notice requires Ediblescapes to vacate the site by 14 September 2026.
Recreation Services accompanied the formal notice with an email outlining the concerns and examples the City stated had informed its decision.
Ediblescapes disputed important aspects of the allegations and requested the complete reasons and evidence, a fair opportunity to respond, and a meeting before irreversible action occurs.
Ediblescapes lodged an administrative-action complaint through the City’s online process. The City registered the complaint under reference 14844681.
Recreation Services advised that the City’s decision remained unchanged and described it as based on cumulative findings. The response did not provide the detailed findings or supporting evidence requested by Ediblescapes.
Ediblescapes asked the City to identify the applicable complaint-review stage and confirm whether the response was an informal resolution or a preliminary-review outcome.
Councillor Peter Young suggested a paper petition for presentation at the Council meeting on 25 August. The petition requests a Council report and asks that the Notice to vacate be held in abeyance while Council considers the matter.
Issued by: City Secretary, Office of the Chief Executive Officer
From: Recreational Services, City of Gold Coast
Date: 21 August 2026, 2:10 pm
Document type: Ediblescapes public statement
Published: 24 August 2026
Councillor Peter Young presented the Ediblescapes petition to the elected Council.
Issued by: City Secretary, Office of the Chief Executive Officer
Reference: 2026-036
Issued by: Recreation Services, City of Gold Coast
The City offered Ediblescapes a temporary extension of its existing licence agreement until 27 November 2026.
Ediblescapes responded in writing to accept the temporary extension of the existing licence agreement until 27 November 2026 and confirmed that the current terms and conditions will continue to apply during the extension period.
The Notice of Non-Renewal and subsequent City correspondence refer to several historical activities and concerns.
This section presents Ediblescapes’ response to each issue separately, supported by dates, photographs, correspondence and relevant context. Its purpose is not to blame individual officers, but to help establish a complete and accurate public record.
Additional responses will be added as the supporting material is reviewed and prepared.
The equipment described as an “incinerator” was a 200-litre metal biochar maker used for limited educational demonstrations in 2022. It was designed to convert clean woody material into biochar under low-oxygen conditions—not to incinerate general waste. Its use ended before the direct Deed of Licence commenced.
Ediblescapes complied with the City’s direction to remove a localised White Ginger clump and provide the material for appropriate disposal. Plants strongly resembling the same species were subsequently documented within maintained landscaping at another City public venue. The issue is not the quantity of plants—it is the consistency of their treatment.
During recurrent flooding in 2022–2023, surface water entered the existing public shelter. Ediblescapes opened a shallow, localised channel to redirect water away from the interior. The area was subsequently softened and regraded before the first direct City licence commenced.
Storage shelves were installed during the NCPA sublicence period under the verbal-permission arrangement Ediblescapes understood was operating at the time. They supported cooking, education and a public gardening library and remained openly visible for several years. Both units were removed in June 2024 before the direct City licence commenced.
Before submitting its Nature-Based Tourism Grant application, Ediblescapes sought guidance from Recreation Services. We responded to its requirements on the same day, clarified that infrastructure depended upon future permissions and directly asked whether we could submit a Project Proposal. That question was not answered.
