Town Planning Report - Development Application 90 Beach Road, Noosa North Shore 28 June 2016

                                                                      15006 – North Shore Beach Houses June 2016




Visitor Mixed Use Zone provide for a range or mix of uses, which includes a range of residential
uses, including Detached Housing and Multiple Housing Type 4 Conventional, as well as providing
for a range of Visitor Accommodation and other Business uses. These and other residential uses are
consistent uses in the zone. This is also the case for the Noosa Heads Locality, which has similar
provisions.

The Eastern Beaches Locality also includes land in the Visitor Mixed Use Zone; however, this is
treated differently. Under the relevant provisions for the Mixed Use Zone, the only residential use
that is consistent in the zone is Visitor Type 4 Conventional. No other residential use is envisaged on
the land. This is despite, the overall outcomes for the Visitor Mixed Use Zone under the Code
providing for Multiple Housing, which is odd. It is also noted that the land included Visitor Mixed
Use Zone has been approved for a Multiple Dwelling use; however it is accepted that this approval
might have predated the planning scheme. Despite the above, the planning scheme has never been
amended to reflect the use on the land.

It should be noted that even if this land was to be used for visitor accommodation, a new
development approval is technically required, despite the development being constructed. Further,
this could be the case for a number of existing residential uses, currently used or intended to be
used for visitor accommodation, which were previously used for permanent residential living
because there is a change in use.

Therefore despite the Visitor Mixed Use Zoning being applied across the Noosa Area as a whole, the
allowable uses vary, which is odd for a land use zoning. It is accepted that a planning scheme may
include specific provisions for particular sites; however it is unusual for the same zoning to be
applied to land across a local government area, but for that zoning to not have the same planning
intent. In my opinion, when reading the planning scheme as a whole, the Visitor Mixed Use Zone
intends a range of uses that compliment one another and should provide for a range of residential
uses along with some business uses to provide for an integrated or mixed use area. It is accepted
that under other provisions the scale and intensity of development should reflect the character of an
area, which is particularly relevant to the Noosa North Shore.

It is accepted that the Council is trying to maintain some sites in the Noosa area to be used purely
for visitor accommodation purposes, some of which are historic. This applies to a handful of sites
that seek to protect the land for resort developments and include the ‘Viridian Noosa Resort’ in
Viewland Drive and parts of the ‘Settlers Cove’ development in Serenity Close. This is also the case
for the existing ‘Ivory Palms Resort’ in Hilton Terrace.

It is noted that all of these developments are located in the Attached Housing Zone and not the
Visitor Mixed Use Zone. The notion of protecting some key resort development sites is supported;
however the subject land has not been developed or could now not be developed for a resort.
Further, there are no specific provisions for maintaining the land for a resort development that apply
to the subject land. Consequently, having regard to the above, given the current occupancy rates
and the nature of the existing development, alternative uses should be considered, at least in part.




                                                                                   Page 25