2021-02-25 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                       25 FEBRUARY 2021

following policy statement:
(2)   Agricultural Land Classification (ALC) Class A and Class B land is protected for sustainable
      agricultural use by:
      (a)   avoiding fragmentation of ALC Class A or Class B land into lot sizes inconsistent with
            the current or potential use of the land for agriculture
      (b)   avoiding development that will have an irreversible impact on, or adjacent to, ALC
            Class A or Class B land
      (c)   maintaining or enhancing land conditions and the biophysical resources underpinning
            ALC Class A or Class B land.
The proposed development is contrary to the State Planning Policy which seeks to avoid
development that will have an irreversible impact on or adjacent to ALC Class A and Class B land.
South East Queensland (SEQ) Regional Plan
The site is located within the Urban Footprint area of the SEQ Regional Plan.
The SEQ Regional Plan recognises that….
      The priority for developing land in the Urban Footprint is to accommodate urban growth.
      However, the Urban Footprint is not an urban zone and does not imply that all land can be
      developed for urban purposes.
      For example, state forests and remnant vegetation will continue to be protected and
      managed under relevant state legislation, including the Vegetation Management Act 1999,
      Nature Conservation Act 1992 and Forestry Act 1959.
      Land in the Urban Footprint may be unsuitable for urban purposes for other reasons including
      constraints such as flooding, land slope and scenic amenity, and the need to protect
      significant vegetation, which may include matters of national environmental significance and
      parts of the regional biodiversity network.
      The Urban Footprint also includes some areas designated or already developed for rural and
      rural residential purposes that are located near urban services and facilities. Local
      governments must investigate these areas for urban redevelopment opportunities as part of
      their planning scheme reviews.
While the land has been included in the Urban Footprint of the SEQ Regional Plan Shaping SEQ
for a number of years Noosa Council has previously made representations to the State about its
objection to the inclusion of this land. Neither the current planning scheme, the 2012 draft of the
Sunshine Coast Regional Council planning scheme nor the now adopted Noosa Plan 2020 have
included it within the urban boundary for the town of Cooroy, as there was no need for this land to
accommodate urban development.
Council also made a submission to the State Government in response to the current SEQ Regional
Plan when in draft form. As part of this submission Council addressed the capacity of land within
the Urban Footprint to accommodate projected population growth. Noosa Council’s draft
submission to the draft SEQ Regional plan noted:
      Council has concluded not to support any changes to the Urban Footprint under the new
      ShapingSEQ for reason that there is no need demonstrated currently for additional urban
      land to be allocated to Cooroy, or any other part of Noosa Shire. Council has previously
      outlined in this submission that it considers sufficient capacity exists in the current Noosa
      Plan to accommodate the projected demand for dwellings until 2041.
Although within the Urban Footprint the development would result in the creation of an urban
settlement within an area where the intent is to protect the landscape and capacity for rural
production. The proposed urban development is not located within an established village, is well
separated from the Cooroy township and is intended to be developed for rural residential lots under
the Noosa Plan 2020.


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