2017-02-07 Planning and Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                              7 FEBRUARY 2017


Chapter 5 of the draft plan is a response to the Regional Planning Interests Act 2014. That Act
requires mining applications to be assessed with special recognition to key regional attributes of
Priority Living Areas, Strategic Cropping Areas and Strategic Environmental Areas. These areas
can be prescribed in a regulation or identified in a Regional Plan. ShapingSEQ proposes to
identify all South East Queensland a Priority Living Area and parts of the region as Strategic
Cropping Areas. Some parts of Queensland are prescribed by regulation as Strategic
Environmental Areas such as Fraser Island. A specific regulation also prescribes all the Strategic
Cropping Land found on the government’s on-line mapping system as Strategic Cropping Areas.
ShapingSEQ does not however propose to identify any areas as Strategic Environmental Areas.

This is a key concern with the draft plan. There are many areas with important biodiversity values
outside of the protected areas of National Parks. Environmental areas of state significance are
already identified on the Queensland government’s on-line mapping system and see Page 70 of
ShapingSEQ. Current initiatives to protect koala habitat is an example of important natural values
being put at risk.

Outcomes from ShapingSEQ for Noosa Shire and The Noosa Plan

Key issues are –
    No changes are proposed in the plan to any of the existing boundaries for the Urban
      Footprint, Rural Living Areas and Regional Landscape and Rural Production Areas;
    A forecast population at 2041 of 63,000, an increase of 9,500 from 2015;
    A forecast total of 32,300 dwellings, an increase of 8,100 from 2011;
    A split of new dwelling locations at 4,600 infill (Peregian Beach - Tewantin urban area) and
      3,500 greenfield (balance of shire);
    A total of 33,500 jobs, an increase of 11,800 on 2011 figures;
    Highlighting of the coastal bus route connecting Noosa to Maroochydore;
    No other significant infrastructure is noted;
    Cooroy and Pomona are noted as rural towns;
    Hastings Street and Cooroy are noted as ‘great places’;
    Recognition to the key regional landscapes of Noosa North Shore linking Teewah Beach,
      Cooloola and Great Sandy National Park and Lakes Cootharaba, Cooroibah and Weyba
      and catchments;
    Noosa Shire is recognised as a Biosphere Reserve;
    The Queensland Government will ‘partner’ with Sunshine Coast Council, Noosa Council
      and the private sector to secure a sustainable long term water supply to the sub-region
      beyond 2031; and
    Mapping in the draft plan highlights agricultural land in the hinterland and a major
      biodiversity corridor following the coast.

Regarding population growth and associated dwelling numbers, the population forecast for
Noosa Shire is low at less than 1% per annum. The nominated 8,100 dwellings will
accommodate not only the 9,500 additional residents but also an expected reduction in average
dwelling occupancy. ShapingSEQ also nominates the numbers of dwellings split between the
coastal area (infill) and the balance of the Shire (greenfield). The nominated numbers are not in
alignment with Council’s understanding of dwelling capacity and this will be included in Council’s
submission.

The plan introduces employment planning benchmarks and for Noosa, growth in jobs is projected
to be 11,800 between 2011 and 2041. For the same period population is projected to increase by
12,000. Although there is significant exchange across Sunshine Coast Region and Noosa Shire
in respect to workers and their places of residence, the high job expectations relative to
population growth should be clarified with the Queensland government (Sunshine Coast Region
is projected to have an increase of population of 228,000 and jobs growth of 80,500).


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