2015-08-18 Planning and Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                18 AUGUST 2015


   Council has adopted a number of policies and actions to assist in better managing
     community assets. These include
     o   Asset Management Policy; and
     o    Community Purpose Land and Infrastructure Tenure Policy.
     The focus in 2015/16 will be on adopting the high level AMP, finalising condition
     assessments and starting to roll out more detailed AMPs by asset class.


Corporate Plan Priority 5 – Establishing new policies and strategies
As a Council, we will need to develop a range of policies and strategies that set the path for
future Councils There are a number of strategies and policies to be reviewed and developed
that will set the strategic direction for the future.

Key achievements include:
   Council established a new set of local laws and subordinate local laws after
     undertaking an extensive community consultation campaign. The new local laws
     came into effect on 1 July 2015 with a smooth transition.
   The vast majority of policies required to be reviewed following the de-amalgamation
     process have been completed during 2014/15. Many of these were governance type
     policies which while not necessarily the most exciting policies, are important from a
     governance and compliance perspective. These include
     o      Public Interest Disclosure Policy;
     o     Contact with Lobbyists Policy; and
     o     Public Officials Complaints Policy.
     At the same time, all of Council’s delegations were reviewed and updated.
   A number of background studies and assessments have been undertaken in
     preparation for the development of the next Town Planning Scheme. This includes the
     Noosa Demographic Profile which was undertaken by AEC. This demographic profile
     was published in the first half of 2015.
   Council undertook a review of its Community Grants Policy and established a process
     for assessing community grant applications. Council also adopted a Festive Season
     Grants Policy and a Street Performance Policy. Still to be completed is a Library
     Strategy which is behind schedule.
   During 2014/15, substantial progress was made on establishing a new Social Plan for
     Noosa. This included the establishment of a community reference group and using the
     outcomes of the Noosa Demographic Profile. The Social Plan is on track for
     completion by the end of 2015.
   Council undertook its first social procurement project resulting in the awarding of a
     tender to United Synergies for the operation of the coffee outlet at the Cooroy Library.
   Although still a work in progress, work was undertaken in 2014/15 to develop a series
     of sustainability principles which will guide the development of numerous strategies.
     The intention is that all Council strategies will incorporate a focus on long term
     sustainability.
   The Noosa Design Principles Document was finalised in 2014/15. This document will
     help guide future design in Noosa (both public and private infrastructure) and sets out
     key principles to guide the future of Noosa.




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