2019-12-11 SM Agenda - Item 1 - Attachment 1 DRAFT 20191202-Noosa Plan Consultation Report

 Submitter   Submission and Grounds of Submission                                                                              Planners’ Response                                                                                              Recommendation
             Rural farm stay and eco based accommodation does not allow for Caravan and RV parking (self-                      •      12 guests in no more than 4 guest rooms, cottages, cabins or
             contained). Properties over 2 hectares should be allowed to have such low impact visitors and the                 •      24 guests in up to 6 permanent
             opportunity to gain economic benefit from their land and provide further economic benefit to the community.
                                                                                                                               •      4 free standing cottages, cabins or permanent tents, accommodating up to 8 guests (if not
             The minimum land size of 10 hectares is excessive for 5 fully self-contained Caravans or RV Parking and                  otherwise nature-based accommodation)
             should be changed to 2 hectares. Properties over 2 hectares should be allowed to have such low impact             •      if in the Rural Zone on 10ha or more accommodate up to 25 RVs, caravans or tent sites.
             visitors and the opportunity to gain economic benefit from their land and provide further economic benefit to
             the community.                                                                                                    It is considered this gives quite a number for options for land owners to generate secondary incomes.
                                                                                                                               Should they want to pursue a larger development or if their property is smaller it is reasonable they go
                                                                                                                               through impact assessment.
 20871332    The strategic outcomes support the notion of sustainable, low impact tourism opportunities but within the         Subject to code assessment a proponent in the Rural Zone with a site area of 4 ha or more could                 That no change be made to the New Noosa Plan as a result of this submission.
             scheme itself it presents low impact as being low scale and size requiring impact applications for any            conduct nature based tourism for up to 4 cottages or cabins or up to 6 permanent tents, accommodating
             proposed use over 4 cabins. There needs a greater recognition of and provision for nature based tourism           up to 12 or 24 guests respectively. It’s not considered unreasonable to request impact assessment and
             which provides for a scale and operation that achieves the tread lightly on the land principles but is of a       public notification of anything larger. The current scheme by comparison requires impact assessment for
             size that enables operational viability.                                                                          any visitor accommodation beyond home hosted accommodation which is not self-contained.
             The Draft Noosa Plan limits potential opportunities for a scale and product type through its restriction in       Nature based tourism is encouraged in both the Rural and rural residential zones of the new Noosa Plan
             yield provisions, size of cabins/rooms density and maximum gross floor area. Provisions would appear the          as consistent development (excluding where located on the North Shore in the rural residential Zone).
             preference is for quite small scale and rustic in their approach yet requiring significant provisions for         The Rural zone provides for criteria for Accepted subject to requirements and code assessment and it
             electrical generation and water provisions.                                                                       not otherwise specified as impact assessment. This allows for a diverse range and potentially scale of
                                                                                                                               nature based tourism opportunities in the rural and hinterland areas to ensure viability.
             Consideration must be given to larger scale, quality nature based tourism experience which may wish to
             establish, and the current provisions would seem to propose such a development is an inconsistent use.            It is considered reasonable to have larger scale nature based tourism as impact assessment allowing for
                                                                                                                               the community to have some input into any application as well as other potential issues that will need
             The scheme proposes any larger scale nature based Tourism proposal would be impact application so the             considered assessment. The use is still considered consistent and therefore is considered an appropriate
             assessment would consider all the elements through to the higher order being the Strategic Framework.             use in the rural zones.
             Tourism Noosa requests that he requirements size, Gross floor area and yield be reviewed and amended              The provisions in the scheme are considered an appropriate balance between allowing enterprise and
             to enable opportunities greater than those presently proposed within the Planning Scheme for Visitor              protecting the rights of the community to comment on significant proposals.
             Accommodation and Nature based tourism.
             Another approach may be to identify specific sites for such accommodation such as included in the current
             planning Scheme for specific sites for Hostel accommodation. In undertaking this the following key
             parameters could be considered:
             •    Locality and proximity to natural opportunities;
             •    Standard road access
             •    Proximity of adjoining residential properties or rural activities
             •    Flooding
             •    Economic analysis of viable size of facilities and GFA
             •    Facilities and ancillary activities and uses; and
             •    Customer expectations of guest accommodation.
 20866273    Strongly object to amendments that weaken regulation and planning protection of rural zoned land from             One of the overall outcomes for the Rural Zone says “Visitor accommodation complements rural uses               That no change be made to the New Noosa Plan as a result of this submission.
             inappropriate development. Removing public consultation to allow commercial tourism development of                and promotes the sustainable use of rural land.”
 20868426    lodges, cabins and huts on rural land will result in potential land use conflicts on accepted traditional rural
             land uses. The idea that any property above 4 hectares (or 10 hectares for “Tourist Parks”) is suitable for       Performance outcomes for the Rural Zone require visitor accommodation is at a small scale and low
 20868178                                                                                                                      density that protects the environmental and rural values of the land; is compatible with rural activities and
             commercial tourism fails to acknowledge variations in area of adjacent properties and potential planning
             conflicts with existing and traditional usage of land                                                             nature conservation; and does not detract from the rural amenity of adjoining properties.

             The plan’s position on rural tourism fails to:                                                                    The scale of development that can occur without impact assessment (including public notification) is not
                                                                                                                               excessive given the required size of the properties and the code provisions applicable. The provisions in
             •     Acknowledge inevitable planning conflicts caused by neighbours having their right to provide                the draft scheme are considered an appropriate balance between allowing enterprise and protecting the
                   feedback on proposals removed;                                                                              rights of the community to comment on significant proposals.
             •     Consider circumstances where larger rural blocks developing tourism accommodation impact                    The scheme also requires that development does not result in the loss or diminished productive capacity
                   adversely on smaller adjacent properties;                                                                   of Agricultural Land Conservation Area and that where located in the Agricultural Land Conservation
             •     Adequately respond to issues of tourism conflicting with rural use;                                         Area accommodation is of a temporary or semi-permanent nature (such as tents, yurts, relocatable
             •     Protect land zoned for agriculture by allowing groupings of removable “tiny” homes on land in the           dwellings or recreational vehicles) or it adaptively reuses well-established rural buildings..
                   Agricultural Land Conservation Area;                                                                        Any commercial tourist accommodation would be expected to contribute to the tourism levy.
             •     Avoid the likelihood of a developer joining titles to build larger scale tourism operations; and
             •     Consider the obvious risk of a self-assessment system reliant on developers navigating a complicated
                   overlay and code system.
             Concern the Council’s attempt to increase flexibility so investors and stakeholders in rural areas can
             develop further income streams fails to adequately account for potential planning conflicts and non-
             compliance. Self-assessment puts the responsibility to enforce regulations on neighbours who may be
             reluctant to report non-compliance. This risk of widespread non-compliance is illustrated by the number of
             hinterland tourism/lifestyle accommodation operations already offering permanent rental and sub-letting,



Consultation Report - Consideration of Submissions on the New Noosa Plan                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Page 87