2022-02-14 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                               14 FEBRUARY 2022


6.    REPORTS DIRECT TO GENERAL COMMITTEE


4     30 TOULAMBI STREET, NOOSA HEADS DESCRIBED AS LOT 15 RP129286 - SITE
      INVESTIGATION FOR SOCIAL HOUSING AND MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
      WITH COMMUNITY HOUSING PROVIDER

Author            Glen Conforti, Senior Strategic Planner
                  Environment and Sustainable Development Department

Index             ECM/ Subject/ Noosa Plan 2020

Attachments       1.   Ecological Values Report (60 page attachment provided separately to this
                       agenda)
                  2.   Hydrology Overview


EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The report is to provide preliminary site investigation results of 30 Toulambi Street, Noosa Heads
for social housing and formalise with Coast2Bay Housing Group a willingness to collaborate and
explore opportunities for social housing on Council owned land through a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU).
At December 2021 Council Ordinary meeting Council resolved to endorse the Housing Needs
Analysis (HNA), which comprehensively outlines the current housing challenge Noosa faces. The
HNA identified a number of opportunities for Council to consider including the investigation for use
of Council owned property for social housing outcomes, specifically;
•     30 Toulambi St, Noosa heads and
•     62 Lake Macdonald Drive, Cooroy.
This report provides the results of the initial investigations into 30 Toulambi Street site. The Lake
Macdonald site is much larger and requires significantly more investigation. A further report to
Council will occur once investigations on 62 Lake McDonald Drive are further advanced.
The investigations of 30 Toulambi Street, Noosa Heads finds the site has constraints in relation to
vegetation, hydrology, bushfire, slope and community ownership of the lot being considered by
neighbours to be part of Pinaroo Park.
It is found the site, while some weeding is done by residents/neighbours and is home to a small
number of Koala and glossy black cockatoo food trees, is degraded and in part mown to reduce
bushfire risk and has limited ecological value. If development of the site for affordable or social
housing was to proceed, removal of vegetation would occur however offset planting may be
possible nearby in Pinaroo Park or Girraween. Hydrology has been modified and a secondary flow
path traverses the lower corner portion of the lot however it is considered this could be managed
and designed to ensure watershed and stormwater disposal with new development is managed.
Other constraints such as bushfire and slope are not considered major and could also be managed
through the development process.
In terms of the nature of this parcel as a Park, this land as a small park benefits surrounding
residents and is locally valued, whereas social housing is considered to benefit the greater
community. There is however some community concern over the potential for development of
social housing on this site. This concern has been shared with officers and Councillors regarding
this parcel. It is valued by local and surrounding residents as part of Pinaroo Park and contributes
to the local sense of place and liveability for these residents. These issues have been taken into
account in preparing this report.



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