2014-05-20 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                       20 MAY 2014


3     Housing Choice

Detached houses
There was support for a clearer definition of Detached house; Household and short term Visitor
Accommodation to protect areas zoned for detached housing from being converted to short term
accommodation.

A number of large dwellings are being constructed in the coastal area raising significant concerns
for neighbours and their residential amenity. Consequently, there have been requests for tighter
controls over the design and scale of detached houses in urban areas to prevent oversized
dwellings and undue overshadowing, loss of natural ventilation, views and outlook.

Submitters also sought stricter control over building relaxations and suggested the need for
public notification of relaxation requests. Side and rear boundary setbacks and site cover will be
investigated as part of the scheme amendment.

Permanent residents in visitor accommodation
Two submissions were received from Viridian requesting that the occupancy restrictions for villas
and penthouses be removed to allow for long term/permanent rentals.
There was some concern from others that any relaxation of limits to allow long term occupation of
visitor accommodation generally across Noosa may lead to a shift in visitor accommodation to
areas zoned for detached housing. There is already ongoing concern over the growing number of
single houses being used as short term visitor accommodation. There was support for time limits
being put in place to assist with controlling long term usage.

Granny flats
There were mixed views on how best to regulate granny flats. Some felt that granny flats should
not remain self-assessable in urban detached housing areas due to adverse amenity, car parking
and infrastructure impacts and the fact that they are often illegally sublet as rental
accommodation. Others supported encouraging granny flats for reasons of housing affordability,
choice and flexibility, eg allowing the elderly to age in place with dignity and allowing families and
teenagers to adapt as needs change.

Submissions seemed to focus on potential problems in urban areas where granny flats are
already self-assessable. There is merit in continuing to investigate the option of making the use
ancillary to the dwelling house (rather than a separate use) and self-assessable in the rural zone.

Another submitter wished for the maximum 25m distance between the granny flat and the main
house to be made greater for rural properties and the maximum size to be made larger to provide
for two bedrooms.

Ancillary dwellings (caretaker’s residences)
Some rural submitters felt that ancillary dwellings should be made self-assessable and lettable to
anyone (not just the owner or employees) to provide supporting income for rural pursuits and for
affordable housing. This will be investigated.

Residential units in business centres
Initiatives aimed at improving housing choice and affordable living were supported provided there
are no significant increases in development and densities available. This includes in and around
existing centres at Noosa Junction, Noosaville, Tewantin and Cooroy. Shoptop housing is
currently allowed in these centres as part of a mixed use development.




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