2014-07-22 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                    22 JULY 2014


REPORT
1     Proposal
The application seeks approval for a Development Permit for Material Change of Use for a
telecommunications monopole associated with the establishment of the fixed wireless
network infrastructure of the National Broadband Network (NBN). Fixed Wireless is a
network of base station facilities that are proposed to provide a broadband service, via radio
transmissions to the majority of rural and rural residential properties within the Noosa Shire.
These base stations communicate directly with antennas fixed to individual premises (eg,
dwellings or businesses) to deliver wireless broadband access. The proposed tower is
designed to serve approximately 230 rural residential properties surrounding Pinbarren.

The proposal is for a 31 metre high monopole located at Grahams Road, Pinbarren. The
infrastructure includes radio transmission equipment and outdoor cabinets, which are within
an 80m2 leased compound. The lease area is located 12m from the unmade road reserve
dissecting the existing farm. The locality plan and proposal plan are included as Attachments
1 & 2.
2     Site Details
2.1   Background
As part of the site selection process, the applicant was asked to consider other alternatives
sites within the coverage area that were not visually obtrusive. Subsequently, on the 18
March 2014, the applicant undertook an information session at the Cooran Memorial Hall for
the community to find out more about the planned network and provide feedback on the
proposal.
Following the community feedback from this session, the applicant has redesigned the
service network by relocating the tower further towards existing vegetation on the site, while
also reducing its height from 41m to 31m.
2.2   Site Description
The site is approximately 3.5km to the east of Cooran and 3.5km to the north of Pomona.
The subject property is 15.9ha in size and forms part of the Graham’s farm, which extends
over 4 properties and has a combined area of 69ha.
There is an unmade road reserve extending from Mountain View Road in the west dissecting
the existing farm. The farm includes an existing house, which accesses Grahams Road and
is located 330m from the proposed infrastructure. The farm is currently used for grazing and
there is sparse vegetation on the existing hills, except for a cluster of Kauri Pines and
Eucalypts along the ridgeline, where the infrastructure is proposed.
2.3   Surrounding Land Uses
The site adjoins existing rural properties with similar sized allotments. The closest dwellings
to the infrastructure are 66 Mountain View Road (340m) to the west, 310 Pomona Kin Kin
Road (300m) to the north west and 292 Pomona Kin Kin Road (270m) to the north.
Photomontages of the tower are included as Attachment 3.
3     Assessment
The application has been assessed against the following statutory instruments, including:

    the South East Queensland Regional Plan,
    any applicable state planning policies,
    the state planning regulatory provisions, and
    any applicable temporary local planning instrument




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