2014-10-14 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda - Pages 1 - 50

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     14 OCTOBER 2014


3.1. The Noosa Plan
The site is located within the Tewantin & Doonan Locality and is zoned Business Centre. The
approved office addition is a consistent use within the zone and is subject to a code assessable
application process. The development complies with the built form provisions contained within
the Locality, Business and Landscaping Codes, with details provided in the table below.
 Criteria                The Noosa Plan                  Approved Development               Complies?
 Plot Ratio              0.8:1                           0.60:1                             
 Gross Floor Area        653.6m²                         493.25m²                           
 Landscaping             10% min (81.7m²)                8.7% (71m²)                        X
 Street Frontage         Average 2 metres                2 metres to building façade        
 Setbacks                                                (Upper Level)
 Building Height         12 metres                       8 metres                           
                         3 storeys                       2 storeys
 Awnings                 Required                        3 metres awning provided           
 Parking                 22 spaces                       15 + 6 previous payment in lieu    X
                                                         = 21 spaces

While the development has a minor shortfall in landscaped area, this is existing and remains
unchanged by the proposal. The car parking rates applicable to the development remain
unchanged under The Noosa Plan and there is a shortfall of 1 space. Condition 8 of the original
approval specifically requires a contribution be paid in lieu of providing the car park space in
accordance with the policy at the time of approval. Condition 8 reads:
      8.    The applicant shall contribute towards the provision of public car parking or improving
            public transport within the Tewantin Locality in lieu of providing the required number
            of car parking spaces on the site. Based on Council’s Planning Scheme Policy 13 –
            Contributions in Lieu of the Provision of Off-Street Parking, the contribution is
            calculated as $36,000 for one space. Council is currently reviewing this policy and
            will accept a lesser amount should the amended policy support that outcome.
The Planning Scheme Policy was amended soon after the approval was given and reduced the
amount to $14,000 for one space + CPI ($17,529 as at June 2014). The Planning Scheme Policy
has since been repealed and the contribution can no longer be conditioned, however the
applicant has agreed to sign an Infrastructure Agreement for payment of this amount. It is noted
that at its Ordinary Meeting of 26 June 2014 Council resolved:
      That Council note the report by the Senior Strategic Planner to the General Committee
      Meeting dated 23 June 2014 and request Strategic Land Use Planning to prepare a
      detailed report addressing the feasibility of accepting contributions in lieu of the provision of
      off-street parking within each locality and, in the interim, not generally accept monetary
      contributions in lieu of the provision of off-street parking.
The resolution indicates that it is inappropriate for Council to adopt a policy position of accepting
payments prior to undertaking a detailed review of the issue and, in the interim, each
development application must be assessed on merit. Since Council currently does not have an
adopted plan for infrastructure spending (or similar) for parking contributions, it should not
continue to increase parking demand without identified ways to invest in offsets. However, it is
considered some factors exist in favour of this application, being:
    The potential impacts on the surrounding car parking areas of not providing the one space
      are considered relatively minor;
    The development was originally approved at a time when Planning Scheme Policy 13 was
      in place and the applicant has agreed to pay car parking contributions for the one additional
      space in good faith; and
    The Tewantin area has been identified for future delivery of new public transport
      infrastructure and/or programmes to deliver transport mode shifts away from private cars.
      Some known opportunity exists to deliver new infrastructure (such as bus stop upgrades)
      and Council is currently investigating others (electric bus network).


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