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FoLW submission MCU16-0081
Attached to the e-mail PM Submission Object - Friends of Lake Weyba MCU16/0081.
1. Application details File No MCU16/0081 Postal address of Land (as advertised) 28 Eenie Creek Rd Noosaville Nature of Proposed Development Material Change Of Use 2. Submitter details Full name of Submitter Friends of Lake Weyba Email Address [email protected] Postal address PO Box 1660 Suburb NOOSAVILLE State QLD Postcode 4566 Signature(s) Anita Brake - President 3. Details of Submission Friends of Lake Weyba make a submission opposing the application MCU16/0081 – Material Change Of Use Friends of Lake Weyba (FoLW) are a community group with a vision to achieve environmental excellence, to sustain and enhance the natural and social qualities of the Lake Weyba area as a natural and social asset for the local and wider community. Whist acknowledging the importance of aged care and supporting the concept of Aging in Place, FoLW’s reasons for opposing this application include: Does not comply with the Noosa Plan The Knowles & Assoc application effectively seeks to change the zoning classification of the proposed development site. This site is currently zoned Shire Business Centre and Open Space Conservation. The building height limit for the site is zoned as a single storey but the application is for a double height construction. The applicant seeks to develop this site for purposes outside those allowed for such zones. The need to change the zone entitlements does not outweigh the need for them to be preserved. Approving this Material Change of Use would allow a precedent to be established and would encourage further requests for inappropriate development. Koala/wildlife habitat The site is located within a Koala Assessable Development Area and borders onto the Noosa National Park. This land contributes to a significant wildlife habitat for the vulnerable koala. The site may also contain or influence surrounding habitat for other vulnerable and endangered species such as the wallum froglet, wallum sedgefrog, elf skink and the locally significant Little Bentwing Bat. The site also provides part of a wildlife corridor for the movement of animals through the National Park and nearby nature refuges. The developer seeks to have “all vegetation cleared except for buffer areas or conservation offset zones”. The development reports suggest that this would involve the removal of a significant number of koala habitat trees. The development would also require significant earthworks which have the potential to impact on surrounding areas. These works would reduce wildlife habitat and have a detrimental effect on the survival opportunity for the koala and other at risk species.
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Road access/Water Hay Drive The application seeks to establish direct access to Walter Hay Drive at the roundabout currently servicing the eastern entrance to Noosa Civic. When commissioned, Walter Hay Drive was intended as a limited access road to provide quick and safe vehicle movement from Noosa Shire in the north and the now Sunshine Coast Council area in the south. It was also established to provide access to Noosa Civic and was intended to provide an unspoilt, natural “gateway” to Noosa Shire. Walter Hay Dr already carries a high volume of traffic. Much of the vehicle activity on this road is commuter traffic with users expecting limited interruptions to traffic flow. The proposed development has the potential to create delays at this roundabout due to increased traffic volume. Safety must also be a consideration with vehicles proposed to enter and exit from a private care facility directly into the flow of commuter traffic. The proposed development location on the eastern side of Walter Hay Drive would isolate the residents and staff from the Noosa Civic complex. There would be no safe way for pedestrians to traverse Walter Hay Dr to access shops and services. The development would create a reliance on motor vehicles as residents and staff would not have access to public transport options. There is mention of a “two-tier pedestrian link” in one of the development reports but it is unclear where this would be located, who would pay for the construction or how aged care residents would access and use such a facility (or if Noosa Shire Council residents would wish to have an overhead pedestrian link at the gateway to Noosa). Vegetation clearing and landscaping with non-native species Following the removal of the existing native vegetation, the developer proposes to revegetate the site with a variety of native and non-native plant species. Non-native plant species present a risk of spread to the National Park and surrounding land. Changes in vegetation type will reduce food source for wildlife that currently forage in this area. Bushfire The site is deemed a medium risk for bushfire. To manage this risk, the developer suggests that they would need to undertake some clearing or thinning of vegetation in the Open Space Vegetation Zone. The reality is that the bushfire report recommends that “all site vegetation is to be cleared on the site except for those areas deemed for protection in buffer areas or conservation offset zones”. This report also states that aged care facilities are “potentially vulnerable uses” in bushfire prone areas due to the presence of infirm persons that may be subject to severe anxiety in the face of an oncoming bushfire, smoke etc. Stormwater Development of this site is reported to increase impervious land areas from the current 0% to 55%. Stormwater mitigation measures would retain stormwater runoff during standard rain events but cause runoff to Council road areas during more extensive rain. There is the potential for stormwater runoff (and associated dissolved/solid materials from impervious areas, landscaped gardens etc) to effect National Park and surrounding land. There is the potential for a flow on effect to Eenie Creek which feeds directly into Lake Weyba. Social isolation/lack of access to community supports The development site seeks to house aged care residents in an area that would be socially isolating and lack access to community supports. The site has no connectivity to public transport or areas for recreation or medical care. The development site creates a reliance on the use of motor vehicle transport to access these amenities off site. Pedestrian access to the Noosa Civic complex is hampered by the need to cross Walter Hay Drive. No environmental impact reduction planning The development does not include any eco-measures or planning for the reduction of environmental impact. There is no plan for rainwater collection or alternative energy production such as solar.