Appendix B - Agricultural Assessment

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1      Introduction
This assessment has involved an initial review of the supplied brief, a search of relevant state
agency land suitability related data bases, a site inspection of the subject land and surrounds, a
review of land assessment from projects within the local area and a review of relevant strategic
framework documents.

This report has been prepared following a request from Hopgood Ganim. The request required an
assessment of the land quality, agricultural potential and land use of land associated with lot 53 SP
163571 which is bisected by Walter Hay Drive in the Noosa Council area.

2      Proposed Subdivision
The report has been prepared to accompany an application for a minor change to an approved
development resulting in a 40 lot subdivision. A GQAL overlay plan (M1775 00 13 E (sheet 5 of 6))
forms part of that application and shows a map of the GQAL units identified as a result of this
assessment.

3      Existing Land Use, Zones and Overlays
Existing land use as shown on the satellite imagery from Figure 1 and the field inspection includes
the following:

    A. Eastern Side of Walter Hay Drive
          a. To the east of Walter Hay Drive a shed is located in a cleared area and is surrounded
              by tropical improved pastures. Setaria grass (a rank tropical grass) dominates with
              lesser amounts of Pangola grass and some Signal Grass. These types of grasses
              require the use of fertilizer in order to sustain the relatively heavy stocking rates
              needed to manage excess growth. In the absence of grazing and fertilization, the
              pastures rapidly become rank.
          b. The remainder of the eastern area comprises lower lying tea tree communities and
              lesser amounts of tall forest in better drained gently undulating areas.
    B. Western Side of Walter Hay Drive
          a. The same sequence of landscapes and land use is found to the west of Walter Hay
              Drive. The gently undulating areas where they have been cleared have improved
              pastures of a similar suite to the eastern side. Signal grass and pangola tend to
              dominate and this appears to reflect past grazing intensity.
          b. There are a number of small dams/excavated sumps serving as stock water points
              and a limited amount of internal fencing.
          c. No cattle were observed during the field inspection. There is evidence of feral pig
              activity

Under the Tewantin and Doonan OMG9 natural resources overlay map, the subject lot is not
included in the Agricultural ALCA category and it does not adjoin any areas considered ALCA. The
subject land is included in the rural zone designation of the Noosa Plan Zone Map ZM9.

The subject lot borders areas zoned (See Map ZM9) as Community Services and Open Space
Conservation to the south (a largely rural disturbed forested area), Open Space Conservation to the
north and east, and Rural Settlement to the west and Detached Housing uses to the north.



                                                        Rural Review Hofmann Hollett Road 25 Nov 2019