2017-04-11 P&E Agenda Attachment 1 to Item 1 Housing Needs Assessment

       Some alternative accommodation such as backpackers and caravan parks so there can be
        a mix of people living in the area.

Types of People/Households with Unmet Needs
Most of the unmet needs are for older people (especially single women but also couples),
hospitality workers, first home buyers and small to medium families. There is no affordable rental
stock (below $350 per week) available in Noosa; it is either holiday rental or very bad quality.
Rental accommodation in resorts has however decreased as the holiday letting market has
pushed up occupancy rates. It is usually young couples seeking rental accommodation in resorts,
sometimes those in hospitality, to be close to Hastings Street.

Some people looking for affordable rental properties, including single parents and elderly people,
go to the hinterland, particularly Cooroy. However affordable properties (minimum rent $460-
$480 per week for a three bedroom house) go quickly. People still like their space if they come
out to the hinterland, and one agent had difficulty renting villas. There is also not much work in
Cooroy.

First homebuyers have been priced out of many areas of Noosa such as the Eastern Beaches and
to find a house under $500,000 they would have to go to Tewantin or Cooroy. Older people have
difficulty finding an alternative to the McMansion. They want to downsize to a one level villa or a
two level duplex if it has a master bedroom downstairs. The latter can be counted on one hand
and are in very high demand.

Barriers to Provision
The main barrier to provision is the lack of land. Noosa is landlocked and there is no land
available for subdivision or for units – only pockets. A need was seen for 200 to 300 lots by one
agent, not 20 or 30. No land was also seen to mean no rental stock, so lower income earners have
to travel at least as far as Peregian, and then drive to and from work, an added expense for this
demographic.

It was noted by one agent that for the second month in a row there was not a single house
marketed for sale in the Noosaville river precinct, and there have only been four or five house
sales on the market this year. One agent believed that developers have now been priced out of
the Noosaville duplex market because the cost of the land does not allow them to make a profit.
Many of the old character fibro beach shacks are being pulled down in Sunshine Beach to provide
sites for redevelopment.

As a result of there being a lack of alternative places for people to invest money these days and
get a reasonable rate of return, there is a dual effect of increasing demand for property as well as
decreasing supply because owners see no better value outside the property market.

Planning Scheme Barriers
Real estate agents generally appeared to find the Noosa Plan quite workable. Height, setbacks
and site coverage were generally considered appropriate. Planning scheme barriers identified
included:

       The lack of dual occupancies - no choice other than to allow this in Noosa, and it will be
        the least problematic solution;
       The lack of areas where affordable duplexes can occur – dual occupancies may not be
        possible on 600 m² blocks such as in Tewantin;




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