2014-03-25 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda Pages 81-167

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                               25 MARCH 2014


4.3   Site Description
The subject site comprises seven allotments with a total area of approximately 303ha and is
located to the south of Noosaville. The land is directly adjacent Lake Weyba to the east and has
roughly 1.6km of lake frontage, though some is buffered by an unformed esplanade (road
reserve). The development site itself has about 400m of direct lake frontage.

Walter Hay Drive, a major arterial road running north-south, transects the site. Approximately
90ha of the site sits to the west of Walter Hay Drive, with the balance located to the east,
adjacent the lake. The site is also traversed by Hollett Road (running east-west) and abuts
Tidswell Road (running north-south); both are unsealed and provide the only existing formalised
access to the site. An Energex transmission line and an associated easement traverse the
northwest of the site.

The site forms part of an extensive coastal lowlands system and is very low lying, being between
0m and 20m AHD. The land is generally gently undulating to flat, with slopes mostly below 5%.
Some moderate slopes are present in the form of natural embankments and constructed dams.
Some gentle ridges are present toward the west of the site but the most prominent topographical
features are embankments toward Lake Weyba and its tributaries. The site contains a
substantial portion of Eenie Creek (roughly 1.8km) and sections of Keyser Creek, to its south,
with both flowing to the Lake.

The site is part of an area of land that provides a corridor for native wildlife to move between
areas of protected habitat in the locality, including Noosa National Park, Lake Weyba, Tewantin
State Forest, Weyba Nature Refuge and Tainsh’s Nature Refuge. It contains substantial areas of
significant vegetation and habitat, including mapped areas of Endangered and Of Concern
Regional Ecosystems and essential habitat known to support a wide range of fauna including
species scheduled in the Nature Conservation Act Nature Conservation (Wildlife) Regulation1994
and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Mapping identifies 8
Regional Ecosystems present, including: Melaleuca and Eucalyptus open forest (Of Concern);
Melaleuca tall open forest (Not of Concern); Eucalyptus and Corymbia open forest (Of Concern);
Eucalyptus woodland (Endangered); sedge/heathland (Of Concern); Banksia low woodland (Of
Concern); closed sedgeland (Not of Concern); and wet heath (Not of Concern).

Areas of the site are identified wetlands under State Mapping and Lake Weyba is listed in the
Directory of Important Wetlands in Australia, considered high ecological value waters under the
Environmental Protection (Water) Policy 2009 and is a declared Fish Habitat Area. Ephemeral
wetland areas are also present, though their extent and makeup has been affected by a regular
slashing regime maintained on the site, evident through aerial photography.




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