Change application_REPORT 29-11-2019_FINAL

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The Natural Resources Overlay Code (NRO Code) for Noosa Shire [paragraph (a (b) (c)] makes
reference to the need to protect agricultural land and not impact GQAL or land uses on GQAL. GQAL
is identified as Agricultural Land Class A (ALCA) and land able to support agriculture. The Natural
Resources Overlay Map does not show the proposal area as GQAL and therefore the proposed land
is not shown as being within the Agricultural Land Conservation area.

A check of the data sets available on the land suitability of the site indicates that a fragmented area
of GQAL does occur on the site on 6 of the proposed 40 lots. 19 of the remaining lots are dominated
by non GQAL soils and the remainder have wetness and soil water storage limitations which at best
would mean they are Agricultural Land Class B.

The Noosa Plan does not include ALC B as GQAL and the definition of ALC B suggests that major
engineering and agronomic improvements would be needed in order for these soils to be cropped.
These improvements would include improved surface drainage (via land levelling), high rates of
fertilization to overcome nutrient deficiencies, subsoil drainage and soil amendment regimes to
improve internal soil structure and adjust soil pH.

Given that less than 2 ha of already fragmented and isolated GQAL lies within he proposed
subdivision area, the proposed subdivision is unlikely to significantly diminish the availability of
GQAL in the region for arable use.

6.2     Land Use Considerations
The subject land contains land which has previously been used for grazing as well as areas where
grazing of the uncleared lands is impractical. The remainder of the area contains both wet land
communities and tall open forest communities of limited grazing potential and with varying extents
of disturbance. Whilst the economic viability of lot sizes is not an overriding consideration in a
planning sense for rural land, the quality of these soils essentially means that even at its current lot
size, the lot is not viable for commercial rural purposes.

These past cleared areas are fragmented by Walter Hay Drive and only parts of the once cleared
areas on the western side of Walter Hay Drive are proposed for more intensive development and no
substantive change in land use is proposed for the areas outside of these once cleared areas.

The likely impact of the proposed development on the role performed by these rural land uses in
the area is summarized below:
     These will be no significant impact on the potential land uses and values on the eastern side
        of Walter Hay Drive as this area is not within the proposed footprint for development to a
        range of lot sizes and is already isolated from the western area by Water Hay Drive.
     On the western side of Walter Hay drive, there will be a conversion of existing larger sized
        grazing areas to more intensive high and low density lots and a consequence of this will be a
        reduction in the grazing land use.
     For the remainder of the area, there will be essentially no significant impact on rural land
        use and values.

Given that the impact on grazing land use in the area proposed for development is the main impact
and that impacts on other land uses and values can be mitigated by appropriate conditions, then
whether grazing at the scale that currently exist is a defining feature of the location and its
surrounds is a consideration.

                                                          Rural Review Hofmann Hollett Road 25 Nov 2019