Attachment 4 - Officer Report Dated 12 September 2023

communal area. The proposed accommodation buildings also are not of semi-permanent nature
and will become the predominant use of the site rather than agricultural uses envisaged for the
area.
The traffic generated by the proposal would also detract from the rural amenity of adjoining and
nearby properties.
3.3.3 Visitor Accommodation Code
The applicant has applied for an undefined use, however, the use appears to have some
similarities to a number of defined uses listed in the Noosa Plan 2020 including an educational
establishment, tourist park, short term accommodation, nature-based tourism, animal husbandry
and cropping. None of these uses individually are identified as inconsistent in the Rural Zone by
the Noosa Plan 2020, but the planning scheme includes specific provisions for these uses,
including the following outcomes of the Visitor Accommodation Code:
Acceptable Outcomes and Performance Outcomes
PO3
Development has a scale and density that is compatible with the intent of the zone and the
preferred character for the local area in which it is located.

Nature-based tourism (where including accommodation)

AO20.2
Buildings and structures do not occupy more than 5% of the site area, providing that no site has
more than 2,000m² of gross floor area.

AO20.5
Buildings take the form of small, separate buildings:
    a) the gross floor area of any one building, such as a lodge, does not exceed 250m²;
    b) the average area of all buildings does not exceed 90m²; and
    c) no individual cabin or cottage has a gross floor area exceeding 65m²

PO20
Nature-based tourism:

   a) has an indelible connection with the environmental, cultural heritage or scenic amenity
      values of the site and these values are protected through the use;
   b) adopts construction methods that have minimal environmental impact;
   c) is designed and operated in a manner that promotes the conservation of resources such
      as energy and water;
   d) adopts best practice waste and recycling systems;
   e) remains subordinate to rather than dominating the natural features of the site with
      a site layout and design that blends into the landscape; and
   f) contributes to the wellbeing of the natural areas and community in which it is located.

Whilst the proposed number of beds (299) appears to meet the site density provisions for Nature
Based Tourism under the Code, the proposed form and gross floor area far exceed the codes
Acceptable Outcomes relating to scale which state a maximum of 2000m2 of gross floor area for a
site, with single buildings not exceeding an area of 250m2. The proposed communal building
proposes a GFA of 2330m2.The proposals total gross floor area of 8325m2 and building form is not
of a scale envisaged by the Noosa Plan for these areas.
The proposal also dominates the natural features within the site, with its large buildings and is of
entirely different scale and character to the original golf course development where a
Queenslander was renovated as the clubhouse/restaurant.
Overall, the proposal is contrary to the Code as it is of a scale that is not compatible with the zoning
intent and preferred character for the local area.