2021-03-15 General Committee Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                    15 MARCH 2021


   Responds to the need for age specific housing – The need to provide housing for an
   ageing population within the shire is well documented; in particular, by the Housing Needs
   Assessment prepared by Briggs and Mortar for Noosa Council in 2017. This report identified
   a need for additional retirement dwellings (particularly smaller and more affordable dwellings)
   to be provided within the shire to meet the needs of an ageing population. The proposed
   development stands to provide a direct response to this housing need by delivering 246
   retirement living (resort style) dwellings with access to complementary whole of life ‘ageing
   in place’ services to cater for residents of Cooroy and the surrounding area.
   It is noted that land opposite the site at 125 Myall Street, Cooroy (Lot 4 SP248479) is
   proposed to be zoned ‘Community Facilities’ for a Residential Care Facility under the new
   Draft Scheme. We consider the proposed re-zoning of 125 Myall Street to an urban zoning
   is a sensible planning decision as it represents a logical continuation of urban development
   existing further to the north. However, we consider that designation of the whole site for aged
   care purposes does not make practical sense as an aged care facility only requires around
   6000-8000sqm of land area whereas the site is 6.665 hectares in size and a large balance
   area would be left over with no certain land use outcomes.
   The proposed GemLife site is considered more appropriate to deliver the retirement / ageing
   in place services intended by the housing needs assessment due to the co-location benefits
   stemming its co-location next to the complementary land use activity (i.e. the golf course)
   and 125 Myall Street, would be more appropriately located in a conventional urban zoning.
   Ageing in place services offered – The proposed development will deliver an ageing in
   place solution by virtue of GemLife’s partnership with Prescare who are a not for profit
   provider of aged care support services. Residents of the Cooroy GemLife community will
   have access to the services offered by Prescare which include: in home care, in home
   nursing, assisted shopping, transport to appointments and social events, rehabilitation and
   physical therapy, respite care, dementia services, pastoral and spiritual care, food and meal
   services, mobility equipment. This partnership between Prescare and GemLife is significant
   as it provides an ageing in place solution that will allow residents to be accommodated in
   their homes within the GemLife community for a much longer time before the possibility of
   having to transition into high care. Therefore, whilst the proposal is not for a high care facility,
   it does deliver retirement living with ageing in place solutions which are needed in the Cooroy
   area.
   Assist in maintaining viability of township services – The retention of this segment of
   the population within Cooroy assists in ensuring the ongoing viability of services and facilities
   in Cooroy (such as local shops, community uses and medical services). Ensuring a critical
   population mass within the Cooroy township means that there is less risk of key community,
   retail and medical services being re-located to larger centres.
   Employment generation – The proposed development stands to provide economic stimulus
   for the Cooroy township by stimulating employment during construction and providing
   employment opportunities during the ongoing operation of the facility (such as on site
   management, grounds keeping and cleaning). This is considered to be an even more
   pertinent consideration in light of the current economic turmoil created by COVID-19 and the
   developer is committed to commencing the development as soon as approvals are obtained.
   The following images provide a locality plan, details of the land parcels subject to the
   application and the applicable zoning.




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