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

AEC was commissioned to do a cost benefit assessment of Council’s local law for short stay letting
and home hosted accommodation and found there is a significant impact on traditional residential
neighbourhoods from the increased level and type of activity associated with short stay
accommodation, much of which is focussed on noise disturbances, amenity, safety and security31.


7.5        Carparking requirements
The 2016 census results indicated 40.33% of occupied private dwellings had two motor vehicles (not
including motor bikes or scooters); 12.9% had three motor vehicles and 5.9% had four or more motor
vehicles. Given 66.5% of occupied dwellings had only one or two residents this indicates a strong
reliance on private motor vehicles.
Between 2011 and 2016 the number of households with 3 or more cars rose by 871, the number
with 2 cars rose by 545. In the same five years the number with no car or one car decreased by 593.
At 31 January 2020 there were 36,818 passenger vehicles registered in Noosa Shire and a further
9,524 light commercial vehicles. This was an increase from 33,767 passenger vehicles and 7,784
light commercial vehicles in 2015. Combined, that’s 4,791 additional vehicles in a period when the
resident population increased 3,090, and does not include additional motorcycles, campervans,
ridgid vehicles etc.
One of the most common concerns of Noosa’s urban residents is the quantity of vehicles parked on
street where associated with residential properties than can (or at least are) accommodated on the
property. In some cases residents choose to use their garaging for other purposes.
Older houses were only required to provide one onsite carparking space, new houses are required
to provide two covered spaces. Hence in older neighbourhoods, where older housing stock prevails
there are fewer double garages.
There is a growing trend to convert double garages to habitable space such as bedrooms, then
request relaxation for carports within the front setback area. Generally, this is an overdevelopment
of the site and not supported, posing a cumulative threat to the amenity of the streetscape.
Households now have more vehicles, or larger vehicles (including some with trailers) that are not
easily accommodated onsite (the high proportion of employees in construction services is a
testament to this).
This situation is of most concern where street widths are narrow and where parking for non-
residential purposes is also in demand. For example, in the SA2 of Noosa Heads, 42.3% of occupied
private dwellings had two motor vehicles, 17.24% had three vehicles and nearly 5% had four or more
vehicles. Given the average household size is just 2.2 people this represents a high number of
vehicles. Figures were similar for the Sunshine Beach SA2 and both SA2s also accommodate the
parking of many vehicles associated with employment, recreation and business.
Table 17 below summarises the carparking requirements of the planning scheme for various
residential uses. Where the number of spaces required is not a whole number, the number of spaces
to be provided is the next highest whole number.
Less carparking is required for small dwellings and in centre zones additional dedicated resident
parking is actually discouraged. As covered carparking spaces contribute to the cost of housing, they
should not be over-supplied in well serviced areas such as Noosa Junction and the Shire Business
Centre. Conversely, away from centres reductions in on-site carparking requirements is only likely
to exacerbate existing parking concerns.




31 AEC Group (September 2021) Cost Benefit Analysis Proposed Local Law Amendment: Short Stay Letting

& Home Hosted Accommodation.


Noosa Housing Needs Assessment 2021                                                          Page 65