Sunshine Coast Regional Council – Council Corner

DIVISION TWELVE
With
Lew Brennan

Council Corner is your first stop to keep up to date with regional council news and regular councilor columns. Do you have a question for your division representative? Email it to us at: noosaed@scnews.com.au

The Noosa Springs Development that was recently put to Council for approval is a long-term project that has now spanned 14 years.

When this final stage for the development of housing was submitted, Council made the decision to assess it under the superseded planning scheme to retain consistency in the process.

The current Noosa plan is not relevant to the decision that Council must now make.

Under the superseded planning scheme, Noosa Springs was subject to a rezoning application that was accompanied by a detailed master plan for the site.

Given the anticipated 14-year staging of the development, the master plan included tolerances around development precincts.

This meant the developer could apply to Council to adjust locations of development, providing it did not exceed mass limits.

Any adjustment required prior public consultation before Council could consider approval, as was executed with this proposal.

The Noosa Springs application is for additional dwellings outside the existing residential precinct on the original master plan.

The master plan does allow for transfers between precincts and the end result barely differs from the original intention.

This development will not exceed numbers of homes or gross floor area of houses in the original master plan.

In fact, this development is substantially less and it is the final piece in the puzzle to complete the high quality project.

The staff report that recommends to Council to approve the development was thorough with the recommendation for approval based on the facts that the scale does not compromise the outcome or recreational facilities, and that the development is compatible with the general amenity and character of Noosa.

It is difficult to accept that supporting this proposal could be considered “spurious”.

Irrespective of whether there was complete compliance to the planning scheme, it is the outcomes that earned the sign off from UNESCO in awarding Noosa with biosphere status.

All the developments that Council has approved in Noosa over the years contribute towards our biosphere status because they represent a harmonious balance between human activity and nature, where sustainable development sits at its core.

When Noosa Council recommended to approve the Noosa Springs DA, their decision was based on its planning scheme and its philosophy.

In my view, not to allow these final 28 dwellings would be naïve.

Creative Communities

Council is developing a cultural plan that will assist planning for future directions in the cultural sector across the region.

To ensure broad community input to the cultural plan, council is undertaking a number of community input to the cultural plan, council is undertaking a number of community consultations, focus groups and surveys.

The first focus group is on Tuesday, October 21. For details visit:

www.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au or call 5475 8501.

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