2014-01-28 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                28 JANUARY 2014


SUMMARY/PURPOSE

The purpose of this report is to provide council with a preliminary assessment of a development
application for a Material Change of Use of Premises for a mixed use commercial and residential
development proposed in 2 stages. The report also seeks Council’s further direction to draft an
Infrastructure Agreement in association with the proposal. The application is before Council due
to the level of public interest in the application and the proposed conflict with The Noosa Plan.
109 submissions were received during the public notification period.

The site comprises part of the Noosa Fair shopping centre, together with Council’s Lanyana Way
carpark and the Noosa Heads Bowls Club. Key components of the development are the
refurbishment of the existing licensed club into a tavern, new large format liquor store,
commercial buildings fronting a new link road and a residential unit building. The proposed uses
raise conflicts with the Community Services zoning of the Bowls Club land, which represents the
majority of the development area. Effectively, the proposal seeks to have the Bowls Club site
considered as an extension to the adjoining Business Centre zone.

The proposal substantially responds to opportunities and aspirations identified in the Noosa
Junction Placemaking Masterplan adopted by Sunshine Coast Council in 2010. In particular it
would deliver a new link road from Lanyana Way to Noosa Drive providing active commercial
frontages to the road and opportunity to create a “green plaza” streetscape and activation of the
adjoining Pinaroo Rotary Park. However, the masterplan does not contemplate the
redevelopment of the Bowls Club to any significant extent.

The need to retain the land for community purposes has been assessed, with it regarded as
relatively week. The primary missed opportunity on the site, should the development proceed, is
for aged care or retirement and special needs.

The proposal raises other unique considerations, as council owns a part of the site freehold (the
Lanyana Way carpark) and has given its consent to the making of the application. The net
community benefit of the proposal must be considered in light of the loss of that land and
approximately 80 public car parks.

It is concluded that there are potentially a number of grounds in favour of the proposal but a clear
community benefit has not been demonstrated at this stage by the applicant. It is recommended
that an Infrastructure Agreement be progressed demonstrating further community benefit and
that a final decision on the application be reserved until the outcome can be assessed in its
entirety.

PREVIOUS COUNCIL CONSIDERATION

At its Ordinary meeting of 15 September 2010, Sunshine Coast Council resolved the following:
     That Council:
     (a)   note the report titled “Noosa Junction Placemaking Masterplan”; and
     (b)   adopt the Noosa Junction Placemaking Masterplan (Appendix A) for the purpose of:
           (i)    consideration within the future development of the five year capital works
                  program including opportunities for alternative funding; and
           (ii)   providing input into the preparation of the new planning scheme, whilst having
                  regard to the hierarchy of centres as contained within the 2006 Noosa Plan;
     (c)   request the Chief Executive Officer to provide a further report that investigates the
           feasibility of:



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