2020-07-16 Ordinary Meeting Agenda

ORDINARY MEETING AGENDA                                                               16 JULY 2020


Environmental and Planning Considerations
Previous reports on the TAFE site outlined its significant environmental values. Following the
decision to purchase, it is my understanding that Council Environment staff commissioned a flora
and fauna assessment of the site by consultants, Native Foresters. Their study identified a mix of
remnant and regrowth Regional Ecosystem vegetation types across the site and habitat for
threatened species, including Koala, Glossy Black Cockatoo and Wallum Frogs (listed as Vulnerable
under the Nature Conservation Act 1992) and Swamp Crayfish (Endangered). Both the Koala and
the Swamp Crayfish were recorded on the site during surveys.
The latest Biodiversity Overlay mapping included in the draft New Noosa Plan generally identifies all
but the cleared portions of the site as an Area of Biodiversity Significance and having Matters of
State Environmental Significance (MSES) Environmental Values. These are shown as the green
and dotted areas respectively in Figure 1 below.




                         Figure 1 – New Noosa Plan Biodiversity Overlays
Staff advise that these provisions provide significant constraints on further development on the site
beyond the existing development footprint.
Also of critical importance is the recently amended State Koala Conservation Plan mapping, which
supports implementation of the South East Queensland Koala Conservation Strategy. New mapping
released in April this year now includes the site in a Koala Priority Area and shows Core Koala
Habitat Area present on the site. These areas are shown as the hatched and green areas
respectively in Figure 2.




               Figure 2 – New State Koala Conservation Plan Mapping (April 2020)

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