Food relief deliveries, youth programmes and community activities at Pine Rivers Uniting Church in Kallangur could face changes under revised plans to acquire part of its Narangba Road property for a new special school.
The church building itself is no longer threatened with demolition, following a July decision to accommodate both the congregation and the proposed Moreton Bay South special school on the same site. However, the land now proposed for acquisition includes an area used for essential community activities.
For a church that provides regular food assistance to local families, the question is no longer whether it can remain at 30 Narangba Road, but whether enough usable space will remain for its services to operate effectively.The Land Still in Dispute
A revised Notice of Intention to Resume dated 26 August 2026 substantially reduced the area proposed for acquisition, following an earlier notice involving approximately 8.3 hectares of the 13.6-hectare property.
October reporting put the revised area at 4.3 hectares, while the Department of Education described it as approximately four hectares. Both figures refer to the proposed acquisition rather than a completed transfer of land.
The church would retain its worship centre and existing car park, but the revised boundaries include a multi-purpose area used for emergency relief deliveries and distribution, Girls’ Brigade activities and firefighting water tanks.
The Uniting Church Queensland Synod has formally objected, arguing that the land remains important to the congregation’s work. It has also identified the adjoining koala corridor as a constraint on relocating activities elsewhere on the property.
READ: Historic Kallangur Church to Stay as New Special School Moves Ahead
Food Relief Under Pressure
Pine Rivers Uniting Church’s emergency relief programme assists families facing financial hardship across Kallangur and surrounding communities.
Chris Schulz, who leads the programme, told Moreton Daily in October that it serves up to 10,000 people annually, with approximately 30 families collecting food on Mondays and another 40 on Fridays. The annual figure has not been independently established as a count of unique recipients.
Schulz also reported a 40 per cent increase in demand over the preceding year, making the availability of suitable space for deliveries, distribution and vehicle access particularly important.
The existing car park already accommodates church visitors and BlueCare vehicles. Although the Department has proposed shared access to the future school’s car park, the church has questioned how that arrangement would work when school traffic, food relief recipients and other visitors need access at the same time.
No closure of the emergency relief programme has been announced. The concern is whether its current arrangements can continue if the multi-purpose area is acquired.School Plans and Site Constraints
The proposed Moreton Bay South special school is intended to increase specialist education capacity and relieve enrolment pressure on Pine Rivers Special School at Lawnton.
The Department of Education maintains that the revised acquisition represents the minimum area required for the project while allowing the church to remain.
According to the Department, more than 30 per cent of the proposed school land is affected by bushfire buffers, koala habitat or road-access constraints. Excluding the disputed area between the church and Narangba Road would further reduce the land available for the school.
The Department has expressed a commitment to finding a practical arrangement that accommodates both the school and the church’s community services.
Earlier departmental information identified 2029 as the intended opening year, although October reporting referred to 2028. A confirmed revised timetable, final enrolment capacity and completed school design have not been established.
READ: Kallangur Childcare Proposal Raises Koala Habitat Concerns
A Longstanding Community Presence
The congregation’s roots in the Pine Rivers district extend back to the nineteenth century, although its present worship centre opened in April 1996.
Beyond Sunday worship, the Kallangur property supports charitable assistance, youth activities and other programmes that have made it a familiar community gathering place.
Those activities have become central to the renewed dispute, with the church seeking to preserve the practical space needed to continue them alongside the planned school.
Petitions Await a Response
Community concerns have also reached Queensland Parliament, where two petitions opposing the proposed acquisition were tabled on 14 October 2026.
An electronic petition attracted 643 signatures, while a separate paper petition received 48. Both were referred to Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek on 15 October, with responses due by 13 November.
The church’s formal objection was scheduled to be heard in October, but the outcome has not been independently established. Nor has the revised compulsory acquisition been confirmed as completed.
The challenge now is to establish boundaries and access arrangements that meet the school’s educational requirements without unnecessarily disrupting the services already supporting Kallangur families.
For the church and the people who rely on its programmes, the final configuration of the shared property will matter as much as the decision to preserve the building.
Published 4-Nov-2026
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