2021-03-09 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                      9 MARCH 2021


10    UPDATE ON NOOSA PLAN 2020 IMPLEMENTATION & MINISTER’S CONDITIONS

Author            Principal Strategic Planner, Rowena Skinner
                  Environment and Sustainable Development Department

Index             ECM / Project & Contract / Amendments to Noosa Plan 2020
                  ECM / Subject / Noosa Plan 2020

Attachments       Nil

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report brings forward a brief progress update on the implementation of Noosa Plan 2020 and
progress towards meeting the Minister’s conditions. It also outlines the process by which future
amendments will be presented to Council and matters these amendments are likely to address.

RECOMMENDATION
That Council note the report by the Principal Strategic Planner to the Planning & Environment
Committee Meeting dated 9 March 2021 providing a progress update on the implementation of
Noosa Plan 2020 and progress towards meeting the Minister’s conditions.

REPORT
1.    Introduction of the new scheme
Noosa Plan 2020 commenced 31 July 2020 and over the last several months there has been much
positive feedback on the usability of the interactive online platform of the scheme, particularly from
the development industry who are using it all the time, and from Council development assessment
officers themselves.
Private certifiers have raised some concerns with the transition to the new scheme and Planning
and Building officers have been working through their concerns, providing training, interpretive
advice identifying changes where appropriate.
The Planning and Building Services teams are helping identify any problems with workability or
unforeseen / unintended circumstances of the scheme and working with Strategic Planning on
possible improvements.
Since 31 July 2020 there has been 68 development applications for Material Change of Use lodged
with Council, roughly a third of which have already been approved.
28 development applications were lodged under the superseded planning scheme, all but two of
which were for short-term accommodation. Ten of these have been approved so far, several have
been cancelled or withdrawn and three refused.
15 written confirmations of existing use rights for short-term accommodation have been issued and
Planning Services advise they have received 56 neighbour complaints about short-term
accommodation since the Noosa Plan 2020 commenced.
Interestingly, because Noosa Plan 2020 generally seeks to reduce red tape and the level of
assessment has dropped from impact assessment to code assessment for various uses, a number
of written submissions have been lodged against development applications that are not notifiable,
where neighbours or community members are disappointed the application is not going through
impact assessment and submissions will not be considered.
2.    Minister’s conditions on adopting Noosa Plan 2020
In approving the Noosa Plan 2020, the Minister applied a total of eight conditions. Most of these
were completed prior to its adoption. These covered the following areas:


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