30.09.21 Planning Report - Civic Lot 2 - NP 2020 · MCU21/0175

5.0 State assessment and other matters
5.1 State interests
5.1.1 Matters established in the Planning Regulation

There are no relevant matters applicable to the application.

5.1.2 State Planning Policy

The SPP includes assessment benchmarks that may be applicable where a local government
planning scheme does not adequately reflect the SPP. The Noosa Plan 2020 appropriately
integrates all SPP provisions, except for Natural Hazards, risk and resilience – coastal hazards – in
part. The application does not trigger assessment against for coastal hazards.


5.2 Other relevant matter under S.45(5)(B)
The proposal is considered an inconsistent use in the Business Precinct and subject to impact
assessment. Under s.45(5)(B) of the Planning Act 2016, the applicant considers planning need is a
relevant matter and is discussed below.

A Noosa Shire Retail Plan, Sunshine Coast, prepared for Noosa Shire Council by Location IQ and
dated February 2018 (NSRP) was prepared to inform the Noosa Plan 2020. In the end, this report
was not adopted or endorsed by Council. It was cited (General Committee Agenda 13 September
2021 item 8) that Council specially sought to only allow an additional 4,200m² of Showroom in order
to maintain a mixed-use centre by introducing a range of other options including residential uses.

Notwithstanding the NSRP was not endorsed or adopted by Council, the content indicates a
deficiency of large format retail/Showroom of 22,600m² (by 2021) for the NBC catchment and a
significant amount of expenditure escaping the region. Although Council sought for more of a mixed-
use major centre zone, the demand and need for Showrooms is still significant and should not be
ignored. The Noosa Plan higher order Strategic framework and Local Plan Code do not place a
ceiling on the quantity of Showrooms, which provides obvious allowances for the quantity to reflect
need in a Performance based scheme.

In support of the undersupply of Showroom in the Shire as identified by Location IQ in 2018, there
have been further changes in the trade catchments, including the adjoining Noosa Civic Showrooms.
The undersupply is further exacerbated by the Showrooms along Gibson Road and the Homemakers
Centre both being altered into larger format Shops, Health Care Services, Service Industry and
Indoor Sport and Recreation, resulting in a shortage of supply for mid-size showroom tenancies
(between 400m2 and 2,000m2). Given the significant undersupply in Showroom floor space in Noosa
Shire the proposal goes someway to alleviate the deficiency.




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