Change application_REPORT 29-11-2019_FINAL

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      1. The map units covering the area were overlain on the DCDB for the area.
      2. Detailed site descriptions also formed part of the data along with soil limitations for crop
         suitability criteria of each of the 12 unique map units covering the subject land.
      3. Those limitations were cross assessed to the site descriptions of 14 detailed soil profile
         descriptions from the 12 mapping units.
      4. The regional land suitability framework for coastal south east coastal Queensland3 was used
         to assess crop suitability. The main limitations identified were wetness and soil moisture
         storage. That framework was not in place when the soils data for the Wyeba development
         was collected.
      5. The only crops showing some degree of suitability in one or more of the map units were
         bamboo, banana, hemp, maize (forage), millet (forage), pineapple, sorghum (forage)
         soybean, sugar cane and macadamia nut (dryland). None of these crops are widely grown in
         the Noosa area at a commercial scale
      6. The map units that lie within the proposed subdivision area were then divided into one of
         four classifications:
             a. NON GQAL – areas which fail more than 1 suitability criteria for the assessed crops
                 based on the available data
             b. FRAGMENTED GQAL – areas covering parts of all of the proposed lots 11, 14, 15, 16,
                 19, 20. These lots contain approximately 1.9 ha of GQAL within the subdivision area
                 with a further 2 ha outside of the lots. The 3.9 ha of land in this group is surrounded
                 by areas not suited to cropping. This area is too small for cropping and is fragmented
                 or isolated from better quality soils outside of the proposed development area.
             c. NON GQAL due to wetness limitations – areas which fail suitability criteria because of
                 wet subsoils. These areas have mottled, gleyed or bleached layers in the top 90 cms
                 of the soil profile that are seasonally or permanently wet and waterlogged. Based on
                 the data available these areas are a combination of ALC B and ALC C.
             d. POSSIBLE GQAL subject to soil water storage limitations – these are areas where the
                 available field data is insufficient to assess the amount of water which can be stored
                 in the soil profile for crop water use, but the data is sufficient to suggest that these
                 areas are on the border of suited and unsuited. These areas are likely to be ALC B.

The conclusion drawn from the above analysis is that there are no GQAL matters which would
warrant refusal of this minor change which involves the number of lots being reduced from 52 to
40.

6         Noosa Shire Plan Considerations

The Noosa Shire Plan requires that a number of aspects be considered for developments such as
this. Some if not most of these aspects are outside of the land quality and agricultural land use
considerations. However, there are other aspects that in part or in whole ought to be addressed.
This section discusses a number of the aspects that appear to be relevant to land quality and
agricultural land use for this proposed development.

6.1       GQAL considerations



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    DNRM/DSITIA (2013/2015)

                                                          Rural Review Hofmann Hollett Road 25 Nov 2019