MCU22/0118 – DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION FOR A MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE – SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION AT 94 & 142 NOOSA DR, NOOSA HEADS (Referred from Planning & Environment Committee dated 7 November 2023 - Item 5.1) · ATTACHMENT 1 – OFFICER’S REPORT

   •   The subject land has been considered by the abovementioned experts and is considered
       to protect the ecological important areas of the site. This is to be achieved by striking the
       necessary balance by integrating the development within the site and avoiding the most
       important ecological areas, with the priority being to protect koala habitat. The site is
       currently significantly constrained by an invading weed species, which currently makes the
       site unusable by koala. The proposed development will restore the site to be useable by
       koala while allowing for limited amount of development consistent with the intent of the
       Tourist Accommodation Zone;
   •   the proposed development provides for smaller building forms, with Eco-Cabins extending
       into the EMCZ; however, these areas have less significant and important koala habitat,
       which is the basis for the integrated design. The proposed design of the development has
       been in response to an identified need by RACV to provide for an alternative form of visitor
       accommodation, within the existing RACV Noosa Resort (Overall Outcome (c)
       Environmental Management and Conservation Zone Code);
   •   the proposed buildings have been designed to maximise energy efficiency and water
       conservation with water tanks to be provided (Overall Outcome (c) Environmental
       Management and Conservation Zone Code (f)
The following Performance and Acceptable Outcomes of the Environmental Management and
Conservation Zone Code are relevant to the development:

 Performance Outcomes                              Acceptable Outcomes

 PO1
 The      Environmental   management      and No acceptable outcome provided
 conservation zone primarily protects land
 identified as ecologically important areas,
 water catchments, beach protection or coastal
 management areas and land with historical or
 cultural values.

 Assessment
 The applicant has provided the following comment in relation to PO1:
       ‘the proposed development seeks to protect the primary koala habitat on the site’
 The applicant has stated that the development has been designed in such a way as to lessen
 the impact of the development on the environmental values of the site, (as outlined in the above
 assessment of the Biodiversity, Waterways and Wetlands Overlay Code), however the proposal
 includes development within the mapped riparian buffer area shown on Biodiversity, Waterway
 and Wetland Overlay maps, and as such is not considered to protect land identified as an
 ecologically important area.

 Performance Outcomes                              Acceptable Outcomes

 PO5
 Development maintains the primary function of No acceptable outcome provided
 the zone and protects ecologically important
 areas,      water      catchments, waterway
 connectivity, marine plants, beach protection
 and coastal management areas and land with
 historical or cultural values.

 Assessment
 The applicant has provided the following comment in relation to PO5:
       ‘it is suggested given the degree of consideration of the ecological important areas of the
       site in terms of protection of important koala habitat and maintaining riparian vegetation in
       the northwest corner, the proposed development maintains the intent to protect ecological
       important areas of the site’

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