Planning Report - Revisions incoporating Attachment H - Economic Report · MCU13/0092

5.0    PEREGIAN BEACH’S NEIGHBOURHOOD VILLAGE CENTRE
       (SQUARE) - ROLE AND FUNCTION

The existing Peregian Beach Neighbourhood Centre is focussed on an
attractive informal Central Village Square with retail tenancies
(predominantly dining and fashion) fronting its internal and external southern,
eastern and western facades. The northern side which is partly open fronts
Heron Street which has been developed with a contemporary mixed use
integrated development including ground level retail uses between the
David Low Way and Kingfisher Drive.

A series of narrow open walkways forming small open type arcades link the
inside of the square to the outside of the square through the southern
façade of the square;

Retail/commercial tenancies exist on the outside eastern, western and
southern facade of the square, and the western sector of the northern
facade.

Office uses and some accommodation occupy the upper floor (First Floor) of
the Central Village Square development

The Square is informal in its layout with a generally grassed and treed central
area with a small purpose designed raised timber platform (the “Postcard”),
and a small art element, which depicts the Village Square’s previous use as a
community swimming complex.

Whilst the Noosa plan describes Peregian Beach and its neighbourhood
centre as providing a “wide range of local retail, commercial and
entertainment and dining uses to support the day to day needs of residents
and visitors“ close examination of the patronage of the centre over the past
10-15 years suggest that a more accurate description of the role of the
centre is that of a “social/entertainment and meeting place” where a large
part of the activity is focussed on dining/entertainment and boutique
shopping. This assessment has been confirmed by a considerable majority
(72%) of surveyed locals via the Community Survey undertaken by Annie
Barkl of Smartlives, Social and Management Consultancy in March 2013.
There are limited convenience shopping facilities as demonstrated by the list
of Central Village Square retailers below.

The role of the centre is, to a large extent, reflected by the nature of uses
within the centre, which are in the order of 100 in total, namely:

   •   12 fashion tenancies;
   •   12 dining/food tenancies;

May 2013                     IA MCU IGA Complex at Peregian             Page 16