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Cover Letter - Response to Information Request
Date: 19 October 26
The Chief Executive Officer
Noosa Shire Council,
PO BOX 141
Tewantin QLD 4565
Via Email ([email protected])
Attention: Andrew Gaffney
RE: Response to Information Request relating to a Development Permit for Reconfiguring a Lot - 1
Lot into 5 Lots at 220 Black Mountain Range Rd Black Mountain described as Lot 3 SP 258991
(Council Reference: RAL26/0018)
Dear Sir,
I refer to Council’s Information Request issued on 30 October 2026 in relation to the above-mentioned
development application.
In accordance with Part 3, Section 13 of the Development Assessment Rules and the Planning Act 2016, we
hereby provide a full response to the matters raised in Council’s Information Request, as detailed below.
Issue – Vegetation Clearing for Sight Lines
MODUS’ Traffic Engineering Letter dated 5 June 2026 proposes to remove roadside vegetation to achieve
the required sight distance. The extent of vegetation clearing required to achieve compliant sight lines is not
clear based on the sketches provided in Appendix B.
Council is seeking clarity regarding the extent of vegetation clearing to achieve compliant sight distances and
to understand/assess the future maintenance obligation that will be placed onto
Council.
Information Required:
1. Provide a vegetation/tree survey and associated plan prepared by a suitably qualified person that
identifies all trees and vegetation within the proposed sight distance corridors, including vegetation
proposed to be retained, trimmed, slashed, pruned or removed.
2. Provide details of any ongoing vegetation maintenance required to maintain safe sight distances, including
the nature, extent and frequency of works. This information is required to enable Council to assess both
the immediate and ongoing impacts of the proposed development on roadside vegetation.
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Response Please find attached a Traffic Engineering Letter prepared by Modus addressing council’s issues which includes vegetation surveys prepared by Max Watterson and Associates identifying the vegetation within the sight distance corridors from the driveway positions (Attachment 1); Issue – Adopted Longitudinal Road Grades It’s unclear how the longitudinal grades used in MODUS’ Stopping Sight Distances have been calculated. Information Required: 3. Provide additional detail validating the longitudinal grades at each approach to the proposed driveway crossovers. Response Please find attached a Traffic Engineering Letter prepared by Modus addressing this item Item – Scenic Amenity and Visibility of Future Dwellings The proposed subdivision nominates future house site areas on elevated parts of the land. Council is still concerned that future dwelling houses and earthworks on the proposed lots may be visually prominent when viewed from areas such as Black Mountain Range Road the Bruce Highway corridor and surrounding rural residential land. In particular, future building applications will not require further consideration against PO11 and AO11 of the Rural Residential Zone Code, which seek to ensure the landscape character and visual amenity quality of hillslopes and ridgelines are retained. Information Required: 4. Provide or suggest mitigation methods as to how the visibility of future dwelling houses, earthworks and ancillary structures on each proposed sits within the landscape and does not dominate hillslopes or ridgelines and protects the scenic amenity and rural residential character of the locality as required under PO11 and AO11 of the Rural Residential Zone Code. Response Firstly, the proposal involves a rural residential subdivision creating lots that are substantially larger than the minimum lot size prescribed for the zone. The proposed lot configuration is therefore consistent with the intended settlement pattern and character of the Rural Residential Zone. The nominated future house sites have been carefully selected having regard to the constraints affecting the land, including steep slopes, areas of potential land instability, access requirements, significant vegetation, waterways and associated riparian buffer areas. The selected locations represent the most appropriate areas for future residential development while avoiding or minimising impacts on these constraints.
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The future house sites will also protect the scenic amenity of the locality, consistent with PO11 and AO11 of
the Rural Residential Zone Code, for the following reasons:
• Black Mountain Range Road generally follows the highest part of the ridgeline adjoining the site;
• the nominated future house sites will be situated below the elevation of the ridgeline along which
Black Mountain Range Road is located;
• existing vegetation along the road verge and property frontages will be substantially retained,
providing screening of future development;
• having regard to the combination of existing vegetation, topography and the lower elevation of the
proposed house sites, future dwellings will not be visually prominent from Black Mountain Range
Road and, in some locations, may not be visible at all; and
• this relationship is demonstrated in the streetscape photographs provided by Mudos, and Figure 1
below which provides a view of the existing dwelling, which is located on a higher and more visually
prominent part of the site and will remain the dominant built element when viewed from the road.
Accordingly, the proposed subdivision and nominated future house sites respond appropriately to the
physical and environmental characteristics of the land while maintaining the rural residential and scenic
character of the locality.
Figure 1 – View of existing dwelling from Black Mountain Range Road
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Proceeding This office trusts that the information supplied comprehensively addresses all of the issues relating to the information request. Should you have any further questions in relation to the proposal, please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned on 0423 952 928 or via email at [email protected] sincerely, Marcus Brennan B. Urb. Reg. Plan.