Planning & Environment Court Appeal No. 3746 Of 2023 – Application For A Material Change Of Use For Short Term Accommodation (15 Cabins) At 94 & 142 Noosa Drive, Noosa Heads · Attachment 1 – MCU22-0118 – Development Assessment Manager’S Report

      a.    the SEQRP sets a long term, 50-year vision, establishing aspirations for the region up to
            2067. Given this, the timing and sequencing of urban development occurring within the
            Urban Footprint is a finer grained detail, the planning for which is implemented through
            local government planning schemes;
      b.    the designation of land as being within the Urban Footprint does not imply that all that
            land with that designation can be developed for urban purposes; and
      c.    when assessed against Noosa Plan 2020, the proposed development is not suitable
            for urban development.
5.    The following relevant matters support refusal:
      a.    The proposed development will involve an unacceptable loss of vegetation in a locality
            which is an ecologically important and environmentally sensitive and serves as an
            important ecological linkage,
      b.    There is no planning, economic or community need for the proposed development on
            the subject land.
      c.    Approval of the proposed development would not be in the public interest as reflected
            in the provisions of Noosa Plan 2020 referred to in these reasons for refusal.
As a result of Council’s decision to refuse the application, the applicant has now lodged an appeal
to the Planning & Environment Court. The applicant seeks that the development be approved
subject to reasonable and relevant conditions.

The proposed development is an extension to the existing RACV Noosa Resort, comprising of 15
self-contained dwelling units, a new lagoon pool within the existing resort complex, additional car
parking and alterations to access arrangements.

Specifically, the proposal includes:
 •   Eight (8) separate buildings comprising fifteen (15) two (2) storey dwelling units, with cabin
     1 containing 3 bedrooms and cabins 2 – 15 containing two (2) bedrooms.
 •   Eighteen (18) additional carparks.
 •   All buildings are elevated structures, the applicant has advised the locations of the cabins
     have been determined by the arborist, ecologist and koala expert in consultation with one
     another.
 •   The buildings are each connected by an elevated timber boardwalk, with all access in and
     around Lot 3 being via the elevated boardwalk (ie no access to the natural ground level by
     guests, staff, services etc).
 •   Removal of a minimum of 71 (up to 82, pending an arborist review during construction)
     native trees (of 242 native trees surveyed on site), with a minimum of 27 (up to 33, pending
     an arborist review during construction) being koala trees.