2015-11-10 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                            10 NOVEMBER 2015


     5.    All easements must be designed in accordance with the planning scheme and
           granted at no cost to the Grantee. Where the Grantee is Council or a service
           authority, the easement documentation must be in accordance with the Grantee’s
           standard easement terms. Draft easement documentation must be submitted to
           Council for endorsement.
     6.    All works must be kept clear of any existing or proposed easements on the subject
           land, unless agreed otherwise in writing by the Grantee.
B.   Give notice to the property owner to remove bunds 1 & 2, and reinstate the areas back to
     its original condition to the reasonable satisfaction of Council within 2 weeks of this
     decision.



REPORT
1.   PROPOSAL
The application is for approval of a 2ha greenhouse (144m x 140m x 7.5m high) at 305 Lake
Macdonald Drive, Lake Macdonald. The greenhouse was constructed in December 2013 without
a planning approval and has been the subject of compliance action relating to noise, sediment
control, traffic and flooding impacts. Approval is also sought to create an access easement
through the adjoining Wimmers site to provide suitable vehicle access to the greenhouse.

The site has been previously used as a ‘turf farm’ for at least 30 years, with this existing use
categorised by The Noosa Plan as Cultivation Type 2 – Intensive (Turf Farm). However, the
changes in the scale and intensity of this new agricultural use requires a further Development
Permit for a Material Change of Use for Cultivation Type 2 – Intensive (Greenhouse). The use is
consistent within the Rural zone, subject to code assessment.

The applicant provides the following details about the greenhouse and associated operations:
   The 2ha greenhouse is to be planted with tomato and/or cucumber plants.
   The greenhouse is made with a metal frame covered by a polyethylene plastic, with fold up
     walls to a height of 1.7m to facilitate flood waters flowing through the greenhouse during
     periods of severe flooding.
   Water for the agricultural use is to be sourced from the existing dam at 271 Lake
     Macdonald Drive.
   Each row of plants are contained within ‘grow bags’ and not within the soil.
   The grow bags are located in lined trenches, with a pipe collection system to collect any
     excess water before returning it to a mixing tank for re-use in the irrigation system.
     Therefore, the irrigation system is a ‘closed loop system’, with water not utilised by the
     plants being recycled. As a result, no unused effluent associated with the greenhouse
     irrigation system enters the groundwater system.
   Approximately 3.84 tonnes of Nitrogen and 0.52 tonnes of Phosphorus is used per year.
   The crops are to be transported offsite for packing with peak truck movements anticipated
     at 10 Heavy Rigid Vehicles (HRVs) per week.
   Truck access to the site is to be provided via an access easement through the adjoining
     Wimmers site (271 Lake Macdonald Drive).
   The number of people on site at any one time is 25 people, with employees typically driving
     to the site.
   The hours of site operation are between 6.30am to 3.30pm Monday to Friday, and between
     7am to 12am Saturday.


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