2018-04-10 Planning & Environment Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                      10 APRIL 2018


3.3. Statutory Instruments – Planning Scheme
Locality Provisions
The subject site is located in the Noosaville Locality and is zoned Detached Housing & Open
Space Conservation. The proposed development is identified as code assessable development
and is required to follow a code assessable application process, assessable against the following
codes:
     Noosaville Locality Code;
     Reconfiguring a Lot Code;
     Engineering Works Code;
     Landscaping Code;
     Biodiversity Overlay Code (Environmental Protection Ares); and
     Natural Hazards Overlay Code (Bushfire Hazard & Flood Hazard).
Natural Hazards Overlay Code
The application has been assessed against applicable Overlay Codes including the Natural
Hazards Overlay Code (Bushfire and Flood Hazard) and the Biodiversity Overlay Code
(Environmental Protection). The pertinent issues arising out of the assessment against the codes
are discussed below:
Flood Hazard
Where development is located within areas at risk from natural hazards, the Overall Outcomes of
the Natural Hazard Overlay Code seek for “…development to be compatible with the hazard so
as not to place people and property at risk”. In addition, development is required to “…support
and not unduly burden disaster management response or recovery capacity and capabilities”.
As shown in Attachment 2, the site is mapped as being affected by flood hazard under The
Noosa Plan’s natural hazard overlay mapping. The application seeks approval to increase the
number of lots thereby increasing the number of people and property in a flood hazard area. The
proposed development intends to achieve flood immunity by modifying the landform through the
introduction of fill on land below the 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) level. The fill is
proposed to create house pads above the defined flood level of 2.6m AHD with the applicant
suggesting that the extent of fill provides a sufficient area above the defined flood level to
accommodate the intended future residential use.
The applicant has provided a flood report which suggests that there is sufficient time available for
residents to self-evacuate as flood levels can take from 1-2 days to peak. The report suggests
that “the influence of the four large lakes and relative effects of rainfall and storm surge flooding,
flooding behaviour along the Noosa River, especially in its lower reaches is characterised
by….the Noosa River floodplain being flooded to relatively low depths by generally slow moving
floodwaters”.
An external review of the flood report was provided by Hydrology and Water Management
Consulting for Council. The review provided the following information regarding emergency
access:
     “Timing of flood inundating in the lower Noosa River area is difficult to predict with any
     certainty because it is dependent upon both catchment runoff and tidal conditions. Natural
     floods are highly variable, dynamic and difficult to predict.
     It is quite possible that residents will chose to stay in their homes based on the belief that
     they will be safe. If the flooding situation then escalates (e.g. a moderate flood forecast
     escalates to a large flood forecast), it is quite possible that floodwaters will overtop Lake
     Weyba Road before there is time to evacuate.



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