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

         Provides residents with a high degree of privacy and protection from noise, lighting and
          other environmental nuisances;
         Provides residents with a choice in housing types to meet their varying needs;
         Does not adversely impact on the natural character and environmental values of the Shire
          including environmentally sensitive landscapes.

The Residential Strategy notes that the Shire is a popular visitor destination and that the mix of
residents and short-term accommodation has the potential to create conflicts. It notes that where
there is conflict, the protection of residential amenity should prevail.

Holiday resorts should be reserved for short-term visitor accommodation rather than permanent
residents. Noosa Heads, Noosaville and Sunshine Beach were identified as the dominant urban
visitor accommodation areas.

The strategy draws on the concept of ‘smart housing’, which is housing that is designed to
consider social, environmental and economic efficiency, including universal design and design
that reduces the risk of household injuries. The smart housing principles were incorporated into
the Noosa Plan4 wherever possible. The strategy notes that Council has previously indicated a
desire to further advance this work on smart housing and universal design, including perhaps
advocating for changes to building codes which might be outside the scope of the planning
scheme.

As well as noting broad nationwide causes of housing affordability issues, the strategy suggests
that affordability is a particular issue in Noosa Shire due to employment being frequently in low
skilled, casual or part-time positions. Hospitality workers, sales assistants, transitory and young
workers are considered particularly vulnerable to housing affordability issues. The strategy
suggests that affordable housing strategies should be developed at a regional level (that is,
including Gympie Regional Council and Sunshine Coast Council areas) particularly as Noosa Shire
has forecast low population growth. It also suggests that any surplus Council-owned land should
be used to support low cost housing outcomes rather than being sold off to a potentially
unknown future.

The Residential Development Strategy made a number of recommendations including:

         A new administrative definition for a small dwelling unit (which includes no more than one
          bathroom and two bedrooms with no study or media room or other room suitable for use
          as a bedroom) could be included and positive discrimination used to encourage provision;
         A new definition for group house be included which could accommodate a group of 6-10
          unrelated adults where each resident has a private bedroom but the kitchen, dining and
          laundry facilities are shared. Each room could have an ensuite bathroom, or shared
          bathroom facilities. This could be an affordable model for older people to reduce social
          isolation, students, single people on low-incomes and people with certain disabilities;
         Remove the need for the occupant of an annexed flat to be a relative or employee, and
          make these self-assessable in the detached housing and rural settlement zones;
         Reduce the need to provide one visitor car park accessible at all times for duplex
          development, and revisit car parking requirements for multiple housing;


4
    The Noosa Plan is the current planning scheme for the Noosa Shire and sets down the planning framework
to guide its future. The plan first commenced in February 2006 and has been amended several times since.
The current version of The Noosa Plan is dated 28 October 2016, after recent amendments.




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