PM Submission - Phillip Egan - MCU25/0118

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                 To: Assessment Manager – Noosa Shire Council. Date:
                 /11/25
                 Re: Application Number MCU25/0118
                 Description: Development Permit for Material Change of use
                 by Coast2Bay for Multiple Dwellings – Affordable Rental
                 Premises 25 X small dwellings plus one community room
                 dwelling.
                 Site Address: 64 Lake Macdonald Drive, Cooroy Qld 4563 on
                 Lot 2 (part) SP348613


                 Submission Objecting to Development Application
                 I wish to lodge a formal objection to the proposed development application. The proposal is
                 fundamentally inconsistent with the planning intent for this land, incompatible with surrounding
                 neighbourhood character, and likely to result in significant and irreversible impacts on local amenity,
                 traffic safety, and community cohesion. My detailed grounds of objection are set out below.




                 1. Planning intent and historical purpose of the site

                 The fact that the land has not yet been developed does not diminish its importance or intended
                 function. The site was acquired for cemetery purposes and has been consistently zoned to reflect that
                 intended use. Local residents have a justified expectation—based on Council’s own planning
                 history—that the land would remain dedicated for this community purpose. Allowing a substantial
                 departure from this long-established intent undermines both community trust and the integrity of the
                 planning scheme.




                 2. Incompatibility with surrounding zoning and established neighbourhood
                 character

                 The proposed development directly adjoins low-density residential land and sits within a clearly
                 identifiable low-density neighbourhood. The proposal introduces a built form and intensity that is
                 dramatically out of character with the established area. Such a shift is not supported by the Cooroy
                 Town Plan, which specifically does not designate this precinct for medium-density development.

                 Approving this proposal would establish a precedent for future intensification, threatening the
                 carefully planned low-density pattern that has shaped this part of Cooroy for decades.




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                 3. Excessive scale and disproportionate density

                 The scale and density of the development are entirely inappropriate for both the immediate locality
                 and for Cooroy as a whole. The proposal is significantly overscale when compared to existing
                 dwellings in the area, resulting in a built form that is visually dominant and inconsistent with the
                 village-style character Cooroy is known for.

                 Medium-density clusters situated within low-density residential contexts lead to unavoidable
                 impacts—an erosion of neighbourhood cohesion.




                 4. Road capacity, safety, and access issues

                 Dianella Court is a small residential street designed solely to provide access to the 28 homes within
                 the Dianella Court development. It is not constructed to cope with the increased traffic volumes,
                 turning movements, and parking pressures that this proposal would generate.

                 Introducing such a significant traffic load onto a local access road poses genuine safety risks to
                 residents, pedestrians, and particularly children. Traffic engineering principles strongly discourage
                 funnelling intensified development through streets with such limited design capacity.




                 5. Poor integration with essential services and facilities

                 The proposed development is located beyond acceptable distance from Cooroy’s core shops, services,
                 employment opportunities, medical facilities, and public transport. This isolation will result in
                 increased vehicle dependency, higher transport costs for residents, and reduced access to essential
                 services—particularly problematic for households in social or affordable housing.

                 Good planning practice requires that higher-density or supported housing be located close to town
                 centres, not at the periphery where access disadvantage is magnified.




                 6. Negative impacts on community enjoyment and established lifestyle

                 The development conflicts directly with the qualities and community assets that local residents
                 value—peace, open space, low traffic volumes, visual consistency, and the village-like rhythm of life.
                 Its scale, density, and design will erode these qualities and diminish the liveability of the area for
                 current residents.

                 Cooroy’s village identity is central to its character and is repeatedly emphasised in planning
                 documents. This proposal undermines that identity.




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                 7. Poor social planning outcomes

                 The creation of concentrated housing estates—particularly where rental or social housing is
                 involved—is widely recognised as poor planning practice. Such concentrations can lead to social
                 segregation, reduced integration, and long-term community disadvantage.

                 Best-practice policy is clear: social and affordable housing should be dispersed and integrated
                 throughout established communities and located within convenient walking distance of town
                 centres and services. This proposal fails to satisfy these basic planning principles.




                 8. Amenity impacts on existing residents

                 New development should be sympathetic to its surroundings and impose minimal amenity impacts.
                 This proposal would introduce increased noise, traffic and visual bulk into a neighbourhood that has
                 been planned and built for low-intensity residential living. These impacts are unavoidable given the
                 scale and layout of the proposal and represent a significant and unacceptable loss of amenity for
                 nearby residents.




                 Conclusion
                 For the reasons outlined above, the proposal is inconsistent with the site’s intended purpose,
                 incompatible with the surrounding neighbourhood, out of scale with local character, poorly located in
                 relation to essential services, and likely to result in adverse social and amenity impacts.

                 I therefore request that Council refuse the development application.

                 Yours sincerely,




                 Submitter Name: Phil Egan
                 Address: 8 Dianella Court, Cooroy
                 Postcode:4563_______
                 Email Address: (optional)




Document Set ID: 24329347
Version: 1, Version Date: 24/11/2025