2022-06-07 Planning & Environment Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                              7 JUNE 2022


        Sustainable infrastructure on community buildings & facilities Building work or infrastructure
         improvement projects on community buildings that include new or replacement infrastructure
         with the specific purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions or making the infrastructure
         more resilient to climate change. Examples of such projects include, but not limited to,
         replacing inefficient lighting with LEDs, installation of solar panels and/or batteries, installing
         electric vehicle charging stations for public use, installing water tanks, shade sails or
         insulation etc.
        Events - Community based festivals or events that bring residents together (beyond the
         applicant organisation’s membership base), including cultural, sports, environmental or
         community festivals. Such events should have a clear connection to greenhouse gas
         emission reduction and/or climate change adaptation.
The assessment criteria, as shown below was expanded to consider likelihood of success,
magnitude of the impact of the project and value for money.
2.       Assessment
Applications for the Climate Change Response Grants opened on 16 February 2022. The original
closing date of 30 March 2022 was extended by seven days to 6 April 2022. This extension was in
response to an unprecedented flooding event within the Shire and a number of community groups
and Council staff who assisted with response and recovery efforts.
Promotion for the grants included:
        An advertisement in Noosa Today
        E-newsletter to 300 not-for-profit community groups
        Specific email to all non-for-profit community groups on the database of the Community
         Development team
        Details published on Noosa Council’s website
All promotion was concurrent with the Community Grants Program and the Regional Arts
Development Fund.
Three (3) applications were received under the Climate Change Response grant category and one
(1) application was received for the Environment grant category but was deemed more appropriate
to be funded under the Climate Change Response grant category. Therefore, a total of four (4)
applications were considered for funding under the Climate Change Response grant category.
The applications were checked for eligibility against the relevant Noosa Council Grants Policy
(Community Grants Policy) and Guidelines. Applications were then reviewed and assessed by a
member of the Environment Services Team with experience assessing grants and environmental
subject-matter expertise. These recommendations were moderated by the Environment Services
Manager and the Project Officer, Climate Change. Three of the four applications were
recommended for full funding.
In accordance with the Ordinary Meeting Minutes, 16 December, Item 5, Page 14 the guidelines
for and the assessment for the Climate Change Response grant category were revised to prioritise
projects that demonstrate progress towards the greenhouse reduction targets and the initiation of
priority adaptation action. These guidelines were reviewed and accepted internally then included
in in the application process for the current round of grants.
The Climate Change Response grant applications were subjected to the agreed additional criteria
to consider the following:

    Criteria                                                                            Weighting

    Does the project contribute to priority outcomes in the Climate Response plan /     Yes/No
    Environment Strategy


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