2021-12-13 GC Agenda - Item 8 -Attachment 1 - Housing Needs Assessment

4. Housing and Household Characteristics
4.1         Households
In 2016 Noosa Shire had an average household size of 2.4 persons, slightly lower than the State’s
figure of 2.6 persons. Within Noosa, the SA2s have differing figures: highest in Noosa Hinterland at
2.6 and lowest in Noosaville at 2.1. Most dwellings have more bedrooms than occupants. The State
average is 0.8 persons per bedroom. This matches Noosa Hinterland, Peregian Beach-Marcus
Beach and Sunshine Beach, however Tewantin, Noosaville and Noosa Heads have 0.7 persons per
bedroom.
In 2016 there was a count of 4,954 lone person households in Noosa Shire. Between 2006 and
2016, the number of lone person households increased by 18%.
Between 2006 and 2016 the number of couple only households increased by 18.3%. Couple only
households represented 31.9% of households in Noosa Shire, a figure noticeably higher than the
State’s at 25.9%.
At 2016, 49.2% of families in Noosa Shire were couple families with no children. This was high
compared to 39.4% for the State where there was a higher proportion of couple families with children.
At 2016 Noosa Shire had 2,267 one-parent families.
There was difference throughout the Shire with 58.1% of families in Noosa Heads and 57.4% of
families in Noosaville being couple families with no children. The beach side SA2’s and the hinterland
had higher proportions of couple families with children. Tewantin and Sunshine Beach had higher
proportions of one-parent families (18.9% and 18% respectively).
At 2016, 29.6% of occupied private dwellings in Noosaville were lone person households. The figure
was only 19.5% in Noosa Hinterland.
Group households are less common in Noosa Shire, accounting for just 3.8% of occupied private
dwellings at 2016. Sunshine Beach and Noosa Heads had the highest rates of group households.
Noosa Hinterland had the highest rate of multiple family households.


4.2         Dwelling Type
The ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2016, Time Series Profile suggests that the number
of occupied private dwellings in Noosa Shire rose from 21,391 in 2006 to 22,110 in 2016. This
difference of only 719 is not reflective of the number of new dwellings built over that period. Many of
the dwellings in the Shire are not occupied by residents.
Council’s building approval data shows a net increase of over 2,500 dwellings since Noosa Council
reformed at January 2014. Building data preceding that date is less readily available.
Apartments accounted for 17.7% of occupied private dwellings in Noosa Shire in 2006 and 8.1% in
2016. The number of apartment style occupied private dwellings (which includes flats and units)
actually fell from 3,776 in 2006 to 1,796 in 2016 despite new apartments being approved over that
period. This suggests many unoccupied apartments (refer more detail on unoccupied dwellings at
section 8.2).
In 2016 76.4% of the occupied private dwellings in Noosa Shire were separate houses. This is just
slightly over the figure of 74.7% for the State. 12.1% were semi-detached and 8.1% were
apartments.
At 2016 Noosa Hinterland had the highest number of occupied private dwellings at 7,789. Of these
96.1% were separate houses. Peregian Beach - Marcus Beach had just 1,474 occupied private
dwellings and Noosa Heads had 1,764.




Noosa Housing Needs Assessment 2021                                                            Page 44