The Australian arm of a Japanese developer planning to build a $900 million eco-resort on Queensland's Sunshine Coast has put the 18.5-hectare site on the market after it suffered a major court loss.

The project, in the sleepy suburb of Yaroomba, was backed by the Sunshine Coast Council in 2018 despite more than 9,000 letters of community opposition.

Later those opponents claimed the council had breached the rules of its own planning scheme to support the giant project.

In February, community groups Development Watch and Friends of Yaroomba fought both the council and developer in a Supreme Court appeal with the court finding against the council and developer.

The matter then returned to the Planning and Environment Court, where it was mentioned earlier this month.

Now, the developer has decided to sell the entire precinct.

In a statement, Sekisui House said it was selling "the last beachfront master-planned development site" on Australia's eastern seaboard.

It said the buyer would have access to approvals that would allow 291 dwellings, split between 112 housing lots, 41 terraces up to three storeys tall, and 138 apartments in four-storey buildings.

Sekisui House Australia's Atsuhide Seguchi said the beachfront site would be "highly sought after".

"Yaroomba presents an exciting opportunity to bring to market quickly house lots and apartments under a current approval for a master-planned development," he said.

In February, Sekisui House announced an annual profit of $1.6 billion from its worldwide operations.

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Two Goliaths to fight

Save Yaroomba's Kathryn Hyman said those who opposed the Sekisui plan interpreted the developer's move as "waving the white flag".

She said the years-long fight took "grit and stamina" from the community.

"So the bravery and courage to do that, I'm still in awe of the bravery of Development Watch and Sunshine Coast Environment Council to pursue it further to the review court.

"We just held the conviction in terms of representing those 9,000 submissions opposed to what the application was proposing."