Planning & Environment Committee Agenda - 11 March 2025
Date: Tuesday, 11 March 2025 at 9:30AM
Location: Noosa Shire Council Chambers , 9 Pelican Street , Tewantin , QLD 4565 , Australia
Organiser: Noosa Shire Council
Duration: 01:09:26
Synopsis: LGIP amendment endorsed, Climate resilience embedded, Charges cap leaves gap, Housing monitoring approved, Affordable housing expanded, STA cleanup, Stormwater reset, Performance reporting.
Meeting Attendees
Committee Members
Amelia Lorentson Brian Stockwell Tom Wegener Frank Wilkie Non-Committee Members
Karen Finzel Jessica Phillips Executive Officers
Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock Director Strategy And Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray AI-Generated Meeting Insight
Key Decisions & Discussions Amelia Lorentson opened and chaired; meeting confirmed Feb minutes; all items carried unanimously, including LGIP 5‑year review and Housing Strategy monitoring program (00:00; Minutes 4, 7.1, 7.2). LGIP 5‑Year Review endorsed to proceed as a formal planning scheme amendment under the Planning Act 2016 and Minister’s Guidelines and Rules, with CEO delegated to progress; state interest review and public notification flagged (02:48–04:06; Minutes 7.1). Anita advised LGIP amendment will embed updated planning assumptions, review Desired Standards of Service, and hard‑wire climate resilience across networks; draft targeted by year‑end (04:17–05:34; 14:33; Minutes 7.1). Brian Stockwell probed Olympics‑related training facilities; officer view indicates such district/shire‑wide sports infrastructure can qualify as trunk if within hierarchy (04:41–05:34; Minutes 7.1). Funding reality : Infrastructure charges capped by State cover ~10% of true trunk costs; balance must come from grants or general rates (05:55–06:55; Minutes 7.1). LGIP scope clarified: trunk includes shire/district parks, higher‑order roads/paths/bus stops, large‑catchment stormwater (≥650mm pipes), land for community facilities; Unitywater separately handles water/sewer (07:08–08:12; 15:32–15:56; Minutes 7.1). Stormwater policy discussion signalled potential policy reset to address river and inland diffuse impacts; current trunk threshold is 650mm (15:32–15:56; Minutes 7.1). Trails : Recreation trails generally not trunk; pathways/cycle network may be, with some works via grants or developer offsets (16:16–16:54; Minutes 7.1). Risk if no accurate LGIP : under‑standard or ad hoc infrastructure delivery; legislative duty to review every five years reiterated (17:16–18:31; Minutes 7.1). Housing Strategy Update endorsed a biennial monitoring program; noted staffing (Housing Partnerships Officer), grant pursuits, scheme amendments post‑consultation, and ID.com data subscription (20:56–23:09; Minutes 7.2). Planning Applications : 22 decided by delegation in January (quiet month); DA staffing improving with key hires (01:02:26–01:07:51; Minutes 8.1). Performance tracking : Council to consider annual or six‑monthly reporting aligning approvals with actual building completions, noting many houses/secondary dwellings are accepted development (01:03:12–01:05:41; Minutes 8.1). Contentious / Transparency Matters Amelia Lorentson raised fiscal sustainability concerns: with capped developer charges, Council may face rate/grant dependence to fund LGIP; linked to advocacy with State/Federal (06:55–09:09; Minutes 7.1). Community pushback on small‑dwelling incentives noted as a drag on delivery of diverse stock despite scheme levers (35:47–37:32; Minutes 7.2). STA numbers : Council revalidated suspected STA list; some ceased, some mis‑rated; about 1,200 exempt from registration remain; refined figures to be released (42:38–46:19; Minutes 7.2). Data clarity : Distinction emphasized between dwelling approvals vs building permits/completions; industry capacity and costs delaying delivery (50:13–51:53; Minutes 7.2, 8.1). Vacancy signals : Census shows ~18% unoccupied dwellings but requires unpacking; targeted owner outreach previously returned ~120 homes to long‑term rental (48:35–50:13; Minutes 7.2). Legal / Risk Statutory compliance : LGIP amendment to follow Planning Act 2016 and Minister’s Guidelines and Rules, including external review, State interest review, and public notification—mitigating challenge risk (02:48–04:06; Minutes 7.1). Charges cap constraint : State‑capped infrastructure charges materially below actual trunk costs elevates fiscal risk and intergenerational equity issues; aligns with QLD charging framework limits (05:55–06:55; Minutes 7.1). Climate resilience : Embedding flood/erosion/heat risk into LGIP and costing upgrades reduces future asset failure and negligence exposure; integrates with Shire‑wide Flood Study and network reviews (10:21–12:14; Minutes 7.1). Assessment pathway : Affordable/community housing on Community Facilities land may still be impact assessable at larger scales; alternative State pathways possible when delivering institutional affordable housing (28:58–29:51; Minutes 7.2). Monitoring commitments : Biennial housing monitoring with cross‑checks to STA datasets and rental bonds supports defensible policy adjustments and avoids arbitrary decision‑making (20:56–23:09; 46:19–47:12; Minutes 7.2). Planning Scheme and Community Facilities Housing Frank Wilkie confirmed scheme amendments enable affordable/community housing on Community Facilities land (beyond retirement villages), responding to church/YIMBY initiatives and pending State model code (23:22–25:16; Minutes 7.2). Rowena Skinner detailed Noosa’s “affordable rental premises” definition: max 100m² GFA, rent ≤30% household income, managed by registered provider/Govt, minimum 20‑year commitment (29:51–33:05; Minutes 7.2). Pipeline examples : Potential for relocatable/manufactured units; local churches exploring 10‑unit scales; State purchase in Tewantin CBD for social/affordable housing noted (24:16–28:58; 01:00:09–01:01:55; Minutes 7.2). Delivery bottlenecks : Despite approvals, construction costs/labour scarcity impede completions; Council focusing on enabling role, not direct development (29:11–29:51; 50:30–51:53; Minutes 7.2). Short-Stay Accommodation and Existing Stock Utilisation Policy lever : Strategy prioritises shifting dated resort units and spare rooms/granny flats to long‑term rental; most effective short‑term affordability gain (40:13–42:38; Minutes 7.2). Enforcement/ratings : Cleanup of STA records corrected mis‑applied transitory rates and identified cessations; further figures forthcoming; ~1,200 properties legally exempt remain (42:38–46:19; Minutes 7.2). Market cycles : Officers acknowledge STA–long‑term rentals ebb/flow with economic conditions; monitoring to track transitions (52:02–52:57; Minutes 7.2). Environmental and Infrastructure Resilience Climate risk integration : Asset vulnerability assessments (flood, wind, heat, erosion) to inform trunk upgrades and costings; supports resilient standards of service (10:21–12:14; Minutes 7.1). Biodiversity mapping : Vegetation/biodiversity mapping recently updated and State‑approved; infill within serviced urban areas preferred over expansion, given multiple constraints (53:33–54:43; Minutes 7.2). Stormwater strategy : Discussion of tidal gates/litter controls suggests need to align LGIP trunk criteria with emerging catchment strategies to address diffuse impacts (15:32–16:14; Minutes 7.1). Workforce and Demographics Demographic risk : Rising 65+ and falling under‑35 cohorts flagged; Council emphasis on retaining key workers and families via product mix and price points (~$600k–$900k) (35:14–40:13; 58:08–01:00:09; Minutes 7.2). Delivery data : Building approvals and vacancy patterns vary by locality (e.g., higher rents/higher vacancy in Noosa Heads vs tight markets inland), reinforcing targeted interventions (47:12–48:08; Minutes 7.2).
Official Meeting Minutes
MINUTES Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Tuesday, 11 March 2025 9:30 AM Council Chambers, 9 Pelican Street, Tewantin Committee: Crs Amelia Lorentson (Chair), Brian Stockwell, Frank Wilkie, Tom Wegener “Noosa Shire – different by nature” PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 11 MARCH 2025 1. DECLARATION OF OPENING The meeting was declared open at 9.30am. 2. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY Noosa Council respectfully acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters of the Noosa area, the Kabi Kabi people, and pays respect to their Elders, past, present and emerging. 3. ATTENDANCE & APOLOGIES COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Amelia Lorentson (Chair) Cr Brian Stockwell Cr Tom Wegener (via Microsoft Teams) Cr Frank Wilkie NON COMMITTEE MEMBERS Cr Karen Finzel (via Microsoft Teams) Cr Jessica Phillips (via Microsoft Teams) EXECUTIVE Chief Executive Officer Larry Sengstock Director Strategy and Environment Kim Rawlings Director Development & Regulation Richard MacGillivray APOLOGIES Nil 4. CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES Committee Resolution Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Frank Wilkie The Minutes of the Planning & Environment Committee Meeting held on 11 February 2025 be received and confirmed. Carried unanimously. 5. PRESENTATIONS Nil. 6. DEPUTATIONS Nil. 7. REPORTS FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE COMMITTEE PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 11 MARCH 2025 7.1. LOCAL GOVERNMENT INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN - 5 YEAR REVIEW Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Frank Wilkie Seconded: Cr Brian Stockwell That Council A. Note the report by the Principal Strategic Planner to the Planning and Environment Committee dated 11 March 2025 regarding the Local Government Infrastructure Plan 5 Year Review; and B. Based on the review of the Local Government Infrastructure Plan, amend the Local Government Infrastructure Plan in accordance with the Planning Act 2016 and the Minister's Guidelines and Rules; and C. Delegate authority to the Chief Executive Officer to prepare and progress the proposed amendment of the Local Government Infrastructure Plan in accordance with the Planning Act 2016 and Minister's Guidelines and Rules. Carried unanimously. 7.2. NOOSA HOUSING STRATEGY - UPDATE Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Brian Stockwell Seconded: Cr Amelia Lorentson That Council A. Note the report by the Principal Strategic Planner to the Planning and Environment Committee dated 11 March 2025 regarding Noosa Housing Strategy actions and Housing Monitoring Program; and B. Approve the housing monitoring program set out in the report and provide a provide a Housing Monitoring Report back to Council. Carried unanimously. 8. REPORTS FOR NOTING BY THE COMMITTEE 8.1. PLANNING APPLICATIONS DECIDED BY DELEGATED AUTHORITY - JANUARY 2025 Committee Recommendation Moved: Cr Tom Wegener Seconded: Cr Frank Wilkie That Council note the report by the Development Assessment Manager to the Planning and Environment Committee Meeting 11 March 2025 regarding applications that have been decided by delegated authority for January 2025 as per Attachment 1 to the Report. Carried unanimously. PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES 11 MARCH 2025 9. CONFIDENTIAL SESSION Nil. 10. MEETING CLOSURE The meeting closed at 10.39am.
Meeting Transcript
Amelia Lorentson 00:00.000
To the Planning and Environment Committee meeting. Today's the 11th of March and we're commencing at 9:30am. I'd like to begin by an acknowledgement to Country. Noosa Council proudly acknowledges and respects Australia's First Nations people and their deep and abiding connection to this country. We pay respect to Kabi Kabi elders who have come before us and we pay respect to who have come before us and we pay respect to current and emerging leaders and their enduring commitment in pursuing a strong and healthy future for the First Nations people. Welcome Mayor Wilkie, Councillor Stockwell, CEO Larry Sengstock. and Kim Anita and Rowena. Also like to note that we have some councillor observers online. Welcome Karen Finzel and welcome Tom. Can I please request before the meeting commences that everyone have their phones switched off or on silent and I'd also like to remind councillors of their obligations under the Council Code of Conduct to treat fellow councillors and council employees respectfully. respectfully. I'll now go to oh excuse me apologies and I'd like to note that councillor Tom Wegener is not an observer he's a member on the committee and I'd like to just that he's attending online and not in person today. Thank you so first now I'll go to confirmation of minutes and can I have a mover and a seconder thank you. So moved. Councillor? Thank you Brian, thank you Frank. All in favour? Carried unanimously. Now go to there's no presentations, no deputations and we'll go to item 7.7: reports for consideration of the committee just we need to hear from Tom as well oh hello Tom sorry you've got to be loud thank you Tom you're in favour no no objections No objections, aye. Thank you, Tom. We'll move to item seven, reports for consideration of the committee. Item one, which is the local government infrastructure plan five-year review. And again, welcome. Kim Rawlings, Anita and Rowena. And can I ask if we can just start with one of you giving us a summary or overview of the report that's in front of us. Anita 02:48.018
I might just note that this report has been done by Glenn but he's away on leave so I'll present it for him. The purpose of this report is to seek Council's approval of starting the process to amend the Local Government Infrastructure Plan which is the LGIP. It forms part four of Noosa Plan 2020. We're required to undertake a review every five years of the LGIP. We're required to Plan 2020. We've undertaken that review and we've noted that it does need an amendment to support the planning assumptions that Council endorsed last year. As well as we want to undertake a review of our desired standards of service to make sure they're more climate resilient and include resilient and include climate change factors. We will undertake the amendment and we will bring that back to council including we will have an external reviewer look at that and we'll bring that back following the preparation of the actual amendment. It will then go to the State for a state interest review and then it will go to public notification. So this report So this report doesn't actually contain the amendments, it's just requesting Council endorse us moving forward in undertaking the amendment process. Amelia Lorentson 04:06.296
You. Questions from the floor. Questions from you Tom, Councillor Stockwell. Brian Stockwell 04:11.836
Have we got a ballpark time horizon for when it's likely to be completed or presented back to us? Anita 04:17.649
Over the last 12 months we've been working across the organisation with all of the infrastructure areas to undertake additional background studies and undertake the review so we're a fair way into the process. So we're hoping actually drafting the amendments and pulling it all together we can bring something back by the end of the year. Brian Stockwell 04:41.891
And follow up if I can, in that process like I'm thinking in... parks, recreation, sporting facilities. Is a... and it has to be trunk, so therefore, you know, Shire-wide or district scale sort of infrastructure. Is it going to be feasible or acceptable to include infrastructure that might be preparation? infrastructure that might be preparation in terms of training facilities for the 2032 Olympics in this review. Anita 05:13.437
I believe that would be considered trunk infrastructure, so yes. We're... sorry, we are... the team are undertaking... are undertaking a full review of all of our sports parks, sports facilities as well as the recreation parks and redetermining the hierarchy as well in terms of what is a Shire-wide, what is district level as Amelia Lorentson 05:34.369
Well. terms of cost, future cost of providing the infrastructure or trunk infrastructure, how will the predicted population growth impact those costs and where are we gonna get the money from? Anita 05:55.327
So the population really is the demand so you know what is our growth and LGP is 15 years is our growth projected over the next 15 years so that'll that'll determine or inform the demand that we'll need for the infrastructure so once we we know what infrastructure we need that will be costed and using a you know a proper costing method and that's that's included in the LGIP so those costings in terms of how it's funded developer contributions developer contributions. The LGIP's main purpose is to seek developer contributions, but we know that the developer contributions are capped by the State, so it's fairly limited in terms of the real cost of infrastructure. So the ballpark is, from what I understand, about 10% of the real cost of trunk infrastructure is funded through developer contributions. rest will need to be through other funding sources such as grants or general rates. Amelia Lorentson 06:55.124
So developer contributions. Where is that money sort of geared to? Social infrastructure or essential infrastructure? Is it different to trunk infrastructure? Anita 07:08.258
So trunk infrastructure includes, in terms of the social side only land, the land component for community facilities, not the actual built infrastructure. It includes trunk recreation parks, which have a Shire-wide hierarchy. service the whole of the Shire, and then a district level, so they're both regarded as trunk, not local parks, so not your pocket parks, and then trunk road networks and bus stops, so again the main arterial network of the road infrastructure, including the footpath. and pathways and bus stops and then there's stormwater infrastructure as well again that has a a large catchment size so it's the larger pipes and the the larger bioretention basin so it's not the local stuff that we would expect a developer to provide. Amelia Lorentson 08:04.867
Yep. So water and sewage separate because that's Unitywater. So water and sewage set. Anita 08:09.707
Yes, water and sewage is provided by Unitywater. Amelia Lorentson 08:12.467
And in terms of impacts on our sustainability issues, is that considered as part of the revised plan? Do we look at what does this mean in terms of asset management, sustainability ratio, our financial ratios, etc? Yes. Anita 08:30.907
So, broader sustainability, yep, we want to encapsulate that in the review and that's a key difference from the current one. So, looking at the longevity of our infrastructure and also the climate resilience. resilience of our infrastructure. So we're planning to meet the future forecast. There's a financial model that happens in the back end of this as well. So we look at the value of all of our existing assets and then the value of the So that kind of comes to a big picture about the value of our current and future assets. Amelia Lorentson 09:09.447
So we're off to Elgar really soon and Elgar is actually putting an advocacy piece on trying to get more money from federal and state for specifically these sorts of purposes. I think where I'm sort of sitting is I'm just concerned where we're going to get the money. It's developer costs, you know, we can't increase them. I think it makes sense that they're capped, especially when the next report we're looking at is housing affordability. Any further costs that would burden developers, we're going We're going to see an impact on, you know, affordability of the product they're going to be able to produce. But yeah, so that's really my concern. Who's going to pay? What are the impacts in terms of our... terms of our sustainability ratios and what do we need to do on an advocacy level to advocate for more funds for local governments to maintain these assets? Questions or comments around the table? Yeah, thank you. My question probably goes to both questions that have already been asked by Councillor Stockwell and Councillor Lorentson. In your report, you mentioned that as part of the amendment process, the following background studies and investigations will inform the eligibility amendment and the revised schedule of work. Frank Wilkie 10:21.834
In your report you mentioned else. So it's quite extensive. You've mentioned not only population... only population and growth forecasts, asset vulnerability, climate risk assessment. That would be about ensuring that the future assets that we provide are more robust to be able to... robust to be able to withstand impacts of climate change. Anita 10:50.470
So that's an assessment of our current... like the trunk infrastructure to test how they would stand up to... variety of climate change factors. So whether it be flood, wind, heat, a number of factors and then that will give us an idea about which of our assets are most vulnerable. And that we might need to upgrade and prioritise as well. So yeah, we're assessing our current network at the moment. Frank Wilkie 11:26.383
Given that an application may be made, the developer may be asked to make a contribution for the provision of other assets. Those assets would be costed to be more robust and able to withstand... That's right, so if it's identified that we need to upgrade or replace that to a higher standard, it will be fully costed and included in the plan. Would it be mainly flood? Anita 11:55.319
Probably likely for our stormwater network, yes. And probably for some of the built infrastructure as well, even roads. So yeah, that's probably one of the greater impacts. It could be erosion for certain road networks or other So all the factors are being put into a model to work that out. Frank Wilkie 12:14.513
And I notice you've also taken into consideration the Shire-wide Flood Study, Integrated Traffic and Land Use Study, Recreation and Land Use Study. Recreation and Parks Review and Classification. So you've also taken into consideration the Shire-wide Flood Study, Integrated Traffic and Land Use Study, Noosa Leisure Centre needs assessment and options analysis that will take into account the expansion of facilities in Wallace Park Precinct? Correct. Noosa Aquatic Centre needs assessment and options analysis that will take into account the expansion of facilities in Wallace Park Precinct? Correct. Noosa Aquatic Centre needs assessment and facility upgrade plan, which people are having input into currently. Stormwater network review. Noosa gallery investigations, because depending on where that, the new gallery goes, it's going to generate a need for more robust pathways. Anita 12:58.341
It's the land component only, so it, you know, once a site's identified, the actual land component, whether it's purchase or preparation, can be included in the LGIP, not the facility itself. Frank Wilkie 13:13.181
But it would be the trunk infrastructure feeding that? Yes, oh sorry, as well as all the networks around supporting it, yeah. Sanitary lands review, pathways review, bus stops review. What about the multi-court stadium that we're doing a business case for? Anita 13:33.092
Yes, that would be included as Frank Wilkie 13:34.692
Well. Well, it's not an exhaustive. not exhaustive, it was just an example of--- Yeah, so it's an indication that's a fair body of work you're about to undertake, and do you, how will you be resourcing the work, and what's the timeframe for delivering that body of work? Yeah. I think that's what Councillor Lorentson and Stockwell are that's what Councillor Lorentson and Stockwell were asking as well. Anita 13:52.960
So we started this process about 12 months ago, knowing there was a whole heap of work and updating of background studies to be done or commenced over that time, so we're well advanced on a lot of these elements. So it's about pulling it together across the organisation, so we facilitate that across the different networks, so we've been working with the various offices to get these studies done and start to review the current LGIP and pull out what the future network the current LGIP and pull out what the future networks are going to look like. So as I said we're fairly well advanced and it's now about pulling that together and actually drafting which is a fairly big body of work in itself. Kim Rawlings 14:33.630
For Council's consideration by the end of the year. Yeah, right, Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 14:40.490
Councillor Stockwell. Just one that triggered my thinking is what what is is the the criteria benchmark for a stormwater system to be considered trunk rather than local and I'm thinking feeding into the river is a whole lot of individual pipes but within our strategies and and forward planning we're looking at a system of tidal gates and the draft Noosa Noosa River River Plan Plan and has a a system system of of trying trying to keep plastic and other rubbish out which is diffuse, you know, trying to stop diffuse impacts. Do they, you know, if we have this as an overarching strategy that we want to get all this, does that trigger them being trunked or are they all still considered, because they're small pipes, being local? Anita 15:32.251
Yeah, so there is a pipe size that determines where it's trunked or not. I guess that's up to us whether we want to change that. I guess doing this exercise won't just look at trunk network, it obviously will look at the whole network as well and what future upgrades might be needed to stuff that isn't trunked as well. But the pipe for trunk is 650ml. Brian Stockwell 15:56.609
So I'm thinking that perhaps there is a discussion around the policy approach to stormwater, because it's a very significant issue, not just on the river but also in the inland. Amelia Lorentson 16:14.154
A question please. Tom Wegener 16:16.174
With the trail network and those trails that we're building for walking and cycling, is that trunk infrastructure or if it's on council land? Anita 16:29.234
Not the trail network, not that recreation trail, but the pathway network and the cycle Tom Wegener 16:40.160
Okay, let's put it, it's growing out there, you know, it's valuable, but there's not a lot of, how it's made for us is wondering if developers aren't actually going to be Anita 16:54.138
Well, maybe through the development process that they might build some of the network as an offset to their infrastructure charges, but I know we've got a lot of grants to actually construct that network. Amelia Lorentson 17:16.340
In terms of risk, you mentioned in the report there's a few risks. Can you elaborate the financing for infrastructure falls below design standards and /or new infrastructure is delivered in an ad hoc, inefficient way. That's if we don't provide an accurate revise. We have to, under legislation, it's mandatory that we have to revise the legis every five years, is the risk if the update is not accurate. Anita 18:00.600
Yeah, if we don't undertake the exercise and respond to changes in, like, future projections of... Yeah growth, and the infrastructure isn't planned to support that growth, then that's a risk to council that, you know, we'll have growth... Not enough and we won't have the right network, or we then, without having... without having a comprehensive plan across the organisation, doing ad-hoc works as they arise rather than having a planned approach. Integrated, absolutely. Amelia Lorentson 18:31.478
Thank you. Any further questions, Councillor Finzel? Yes, Tom Wegener 18:39.716
Thank you, Madam Chair. In regards to the attachment one in the report, there's a few questions in the list that have been in the checklist that have been marked no. How are the gaps How are the gaps to be addressed moving forward because in relation to the outdated DMAT information on that checklist? Anita 19:11.430
With regard to DMAT, you'll recall Council endorsed the revised planning assumptions last year from Unitywater, which we adopt for the purposes of our forward planning. So those changed projections. changed projections will be incorporated into the plan and amended and our demand for future infrastructure will reflect that in what infrastructure is identified. So there's a section in the LGIP that actually has all those population forecasts and demand calculations based on that, so that'll all be amended based on the new Thank you. Frank Wilkie 19:53.380
I'm happy to move it, Madam Chair. Amelia Lorentson 19:55.060
Thank you, can I have a second? I'll take it. Councillor Stockwell, would you like to speak? Frank Wilkie 19:59.180
Thank you, Madam Chair. Look, it's very important. As work is done, it's critical for capital works and asset planning, and I wish the team well. You've got a huge body of work ahead of you. I'm really pleased to hear you've already over the past year. pleased to hear you've already over the past year getting a head start on it, so well done and looking forward to the final report. Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 20:19.874
Any further comments? No? Thank you. for the report and we're looking forward to... revised report coming back to Council. Thank you very much. No further questions? All in favour? Supported unanimously. Thank you. Councillor Tom Wegener? Aye. Thank you Tom. Yes. Supported We'll now go to item 7.2 Noosa housing strategy and welcome to the desk Rowena Skinner. Thank you Rowena. Rowena Skinner 20:56.956
Councillors this report is an update to the housing strategy that council adopted in December 2022. Council was unanimous in their prioritising a strategy to basically sort of assist with the housing crisis that Noosa's have been experiencing. As part of that housing strategy, one of the commitments was ongoing monitoring and updating on the situation. So this report provides an update on where Council's at with all the actions within the strategy and it also specifically looks at a monitoring program program that will commence to sort of create a benchmark that can then be reported every two years going forward. Over the last year Council's appointed a Housing Partnerships Officer who's advancing housing projects on Council-owned land. He's working with not-for-profit accommodation providers and government agencies with an interest in housing. He's been applying for grant funding and has been successful in some of that. The planning scheme amendments that were prepared went through community consultation. We're altered and then went back to the State for final sign off and we've purchased a subscription to ID.com housing profile which gives us data driven information that we I'm more regular monitoring as well so all of that feeds into the monitoring process that we're that we're suggesting going forward this reports just looking just looking for council endorsement for that monitoring program. Amelia Lorentson 23:09.245
Thank you Rowena. I'll throw it to the floor. Questions, Councillor Wegener, Wilkie or Councillor Stockwell? Frank Wilkie 23:22.189
Yeah, thank you for the report. Where Noosa Council is putting a lot of leave is to play its part in the national housing availability and affordability shortage. We've got the planning scheme amendments which have been out for consultation with the State currently. One of the responses One of the responses has been to do a change to what is capable of being delivered on community facilities land. Currently the zoning allows retirement villages but we've made a change to allow affordable housing and that was in response to requests, as I understand correctly, from church groups. Could you talk a Could you talk a bit about what churches are looking to provide on lands that they own, zoned community facilities? Rowena Skinner 24:16.212
Councillor, since the last, the previous government was approached by, I guess, a bunch of church groups that, as well as the yinbing association, so yinbing is yes in my backyard association, and these, this group along with the churches are sort of trying to find areas where means of affordable housing, emergency housing, transitional housing, social housing can be constructed. constructed on land that's being underutilised by whether that's church groups or other groups that might have spare land within the community facilities zone, that they're not they're not needing for their own purpose. So we started reaching out under Clare Stewart, we started reaching out to some of the religious organisations locally and sort of suggested that they look at some of their land assets and see if there's anything that's surplus to their requirements and we have had traction with some of the churches. There's a lot for them to work through in terms of their own forward planning and whether they're going to need that land in the future. Relocatable buildings were particularly... Another one of the local churches had capacity for anywhere up to 10 small units that they sort of thought could be something like pensioning units or similar. aren't sort of seeing them put their mind to what they can use their spare land for. In parallel, there is a process that the State's going through where the current Premier has an undertaking to those groups. churches and the YIMBY Association where they have reached out to the local government association to create a model code for this purpose. So a model code for affordable and Affordable and social housing outcomes or community housing outcomes, particularly on community facility zoned land, predominantly zoned by religious groups but not necessarily limited groups. The model code is currently being drafted by a consultant and then if that's accepted by the State it would be available for councils to adopt adopt in their planning scheme but we're sort of ahead of that game we're sort of contributing to the process but we already through our amendments have provisions that if if signed off by minister will serve the same purpose thank you so it also means that community facility lands and community facilities around the Shire which would already house retirement villages can house community housing affordable housing yeah so community housing which can obviously take very which can obviously take various forms it can be in apartments it could be in detached housing it could be in relocatable or manufactured structures it could be in a boarding house situation And the land on McKendon Drive owned by, is it Sundale? They've had an approval for the retirement village for some time now. Under the planning scheme amendments, if they so chose to do so, they could provide affordable community housing on that land, with a new development application? They would need a new development application and at that type of scale it would still need to go through impact assessment. But there are other avenues as well, as you know, if to sort of, if affordable institutional housing is... part of what they were to deliver on that, there's other avenues that can go through with the State as well. Frank Wilkie 28:58.489
And the council isn't directly providing affordable housing, it's creating opportunities for it through planning scheme amendments. Yes. the State partnering with community housing providers. That's right. Rowena Skinner 29:11.509
Cancel... Frank Wilkie 29:13.609
Resigning... Rowena Skinner 29:14.309
Yeah, through the process of the housing strategy, council was quite clear they didn't want to be developers, they weren't in the game to be a community housing provider itself, but... there are expert organisations that do a very good job in that space and partnering with those community housing providers who have access to all the government grants would make the most And there's local private developers who are interested in partnering with those community housing providers as well. Frank Wilkie 29:51.028
And one confusing aspect of the whole debate is the difference between a strict definition of affordable housing and... and providing units or dwellings which are available for a wider range of budgets and therefore affordable to a greater range of people. Rowena Skinner 30:13.445
Could you just talk to how we're seeking to achieve So the State Council, with the half-polar legislative amendments that came in last year, the State created a definition of affordable housing component, which while obviously helpful in terms of the bigger picture of bringing in legislation that supported affordable housing, we found that it's a little bit broad for our immediate needs. So with the proposed amendments we came up with our own definition of affordable rental premises which specifically ties it to being small dwellings so no more than 100 square metres of GFA. They had to be affordable for basically low to medium income earners so the household would pay no more than 30% of their income in rent. They had to be owned or leased by a community registered community housing provider or the government itself it could include social housing but it's unlikely to so social or community housing through a community housing provider and it had to be committed to that purpose for at least 20 years so well while large growth areas are producing affordable housing which is affordable for say first home buyers to purchase that's not that's not part of that affordable rental premises definition so we're specifically looking for housing which is rental long-term affordable rental and managed for that purpose so that it is committed long term but the episode in addition to the range of affordability the planning scheme amendments still look to provide bonus provisions for small dwellings in a range of sizes to provide to provide housing diversity and housing choice for around which I guess does somewhat provide for a range of affordability we wouldn't necessarily say it's affordable and it's once it's on the open market obviously there's no control the definition was about controlling that that it was rental only and impact well up to Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 33:05.971
Councillor Wegener, you've got a question. Tom Wegener 33:09.251
I was looking at action number three which says to monitor other Australian local governments and relevant overseas examples as innovative approaches to similar problems. Is there any good stories that you can tell us about similar governments dealing with the- 10, 20 Rowena Skinner 33:29.800
Um, Councillor, most other local governments have different sets of circumstances so we would find that there are areas, areas that share some similarities with Noosa Shire but then they're different in other aspects so we find areas that are obviously in tourist you know things places like ski resorts places like beach resorts but there they have a different set of circumstances in There might be circumstances in other aspects to Noosa Shire. They might be more remote, they might be on island communities, they might be isolated, not considered part of a high growth south east Queensland corner like ours. So so there's lots of learnings from different places but I can't suggest there's any one silver bullet. Certainly you know even through the through SEQ Council of Mayors we've we've sort of started seeing what someone sort of started seeing what some of the Western Canadian ski resort areas and places like that are doing but the you know they may have they've got a different set of legislation framework they've got it you know everybody's got different circumstances to a degree so there's lots of interesting ideas but not one silver bullet we can pick up and apply here. Amelia Lorentson 35:14.299
In terms of dwelling targets and housing diversity outcomes that's outlined in the South East Queensland shaping South East Queensland 2023 plan are we meeting are we meeting our targets and how many dwellings per annum do we actually need to build to meet this demand? I'm sort of asking you know where are we up to? Rowena Skinner 35:47.453
I can't tell you the figure off the top of my head. We monitor the dwellings that are being delivered every month. that are being delivered every month through building approvals and we are tracking lower than I'd like us to be tracking. We've sort of done everything we can to try and encourage a higher number of smaller dwellings and clearly we went through community consultation and there was some community push was some community pushback on that. We're still seeing large dwellings, detached houses and large duplex dwellings being the favoured product and so yeah on a monthly basis we're certainly not seeing high delivery. We see, particularly because we see so many houses being demolished with another house replacing it, or at the most a duplex replacing it. The number of apartments, independent living units for retirees, any other form, you know, even community residences, all of those, they're not as high as we would like it to be, but in pure numbers. Frank Wilkie 37:32.858
24 Year, there were 155 separate detached dwellings built and 209 medium and high density dwellings built. Anita 37:43.938
Sorry, where are you quoting that from? Frank Wilkie 37:46.438
There's a link in the report to explore the housing story for Noosa Shire and that's the figures that I thought would be helpful to this conversation. That's right, sure, yeah. Amelia Lorentson 37:59.684
So is a knockdown in replacement, how is that counted? Is that a new dwelling? It's not additional. It's not additional. Yeah, there's a new dwelling approval. Separate houses, 155, medium and high density, time written on. Kim Rawlings 38:13.084
Yeah. Amelia Lorentson 38:14.084
Approvals. Frank Wilkie 38:15.004
Approvals. Dwelling approvals, yes. Yeah. Kim Rawlings 38:18.244
It's not yet built. Okay. Amelia Lorentson 38:20.404
Not yet built. So we're lagging a little- The report notes that stats are showing a rising population over 65 and declining numbers under 35. That was like a really big red flag for me because I think of our under 35 year olds, our essential workforce, our Noosa's, our teachers, paramedics. Hospitality staff, our retail workers. In terms of affordability, do we have a number, what is the median price for affordable housing? So we talk about we're providing incentive provisions and bonus provisions for developers to develop small products, 100 square metres, etc. we're going car parking spaces but in terms of product will that produce a product that is affordable to our workforce and that's what I'm sort of focusing a lot of my questions are around what are we doing is it our median house price I think in Noosa is about 1.2 million and is the median house price with I've got two kids one's 20 one's 21 both actually have savings for a deposit their price bracket I would guess six hundred to one million six hundred to nine hundred thousand so my question is what are we doing to help incentivize help incentivise developers to build a product in that price bracket so that we can keep our workforce here in Noosa and that they don't, you know, cross the border and go somewhere that's more affordable. Rowena Skinner 40:13.637
So in the scheme amendments, or the scheme right now, we give them a greater GFA, plot ratio. We give a greater site car parking, we require less landscaping and we require less car parking. And in the amendment, amendments in certain areas they can also get an additional story of height so that they were designed to be incentives to try and make it easier to stack up. I think in terms of affordability because construction is very high with income Within coming rounds we'll be looking at some of the other financial triggers in terms of development application fees, rates, infrastructure charges etc. to see if there's anywhere there that we can explore incentivising as well. In terms the most affordable options are using the existing housing stock better, so spare bedrooms, granny flats. The dated resort units that are transitioning to to permanent housing that are, you know, they've become, they're no longer favoured favoured by tourists, but are in excellent locations for key workers. So the new housing stock is probably always going to be more expensive. construction cost is going to make it more expensive, the standard of construction these days in terms of what goes into a house or a unit is different to what was built in the 80s. Anything new... So I think our best chance of affordable housing is probably in our existing housing stock. Amelia Lorentson 42:38.253
Is there opportunity with our newly appointed housing partnership officer to include... and maybe prioritise looking for the affordable housing options for our workforce, whether it's private /public partnership. Whether it's, like what you mentioned, incentivising resort owners to... but can we expand their scope of work to include, you know, consideration include, you know, consideration of opportunities to help with our, what I call, our essential workforce crisis, housing crisis. Yeah, so he's doing that, yeah, he's doing that, he's already within the scope. In terms of existing housing stock, I'm going to ask just a couple of questions in terms of short-stay local laws. I've heard so many numbers. How many unregistered STAs do we currently have? And I've heard numbers from 1,500 or more. It's not relevant to this conversation. Oh, not relevant? Oh, OK. It's just with a different department. Oh, OK, sorry, Richard. I think, actually, it is relevant because one of our actions is introduction of short-stay. Over the years, our transitory rating categories was going to help address the identified STAs as one of the causes for... It doesn't get settled when you ask them to arrange it and stuff. So, you know, try that question out. Council staff have gone through our entire database of the properties that we suspect were STAs, so we've actually gone through that entire list. Staff are continuing to follow up on any leads from the community What that has identified is a number of properties that we suspected were STA originally. In some cases we've found that they've actually either ceased using the premises for a short stay, or in some cases we're actually playing paying transitory rates when they were actually publicly occupying the premises. So we've found that in a number of cases that was actually happening, which is why the assumptions originally were probably higher than what we've actually found in terms of random compare investigation. So we'll have some sort of some other numbers that will release shortly following the completion of this recent piece of work that we've been doing, but certainly that number has come down from down from what was originally envisaged in terms of the total number of STAs, knowing that we have a number that are also exempt, around 1,200 properties that are not required to be registered under the STA that still have the ability to operate. And obviously not required to be approved under the local law itself. It would be great to understand those names maybe at a later stage, Richard, but just to understand is what we're doing in terms of our local laws, in terms of our housing strategy, is actually working to produce desired outcomes, which is providing housing diversity, livability, and more permanent rental stock in the market. Thank you. Anita 46:19.758
I might just add to that. We are doing an extensive housing monitoring program, which looks at the rental premises coming onto the market, and we cross-check that back the market, and we cross-check that back to the STA, I guess, master list that we originally identified to understand what the shifts are. It's difficult to know what then goes back into the STA market, but that will happen through the STA monitoring process. But it is a moving feast of around that, I would suspect, thousand-odd properties that move in and out. we're trying to get a handle on and monitor. Um, so... Amelia Lorentson 46:58.454
And rental bonds? Do you access that information as well? And how are we going to increase or decrease in terms of rental Yeah, they're not increasing. Rowena Skinner 47:12.113
Um, they've been fairly, fairly static. Um, in some areas they will go down. Um... Each part of Noosa Shire is quite different as well. I think, you know, we spoke, um, about areas such as Noosa Heads where rents are quite high. Um, they will have a higher vacancy rate. And they, their vacancy rate could be 4% at Noosa Heads. But their, their heads, but their rents are high and so many people can't afford it, whereas Cooroy and Pomona might have 0.01% vacancy rate because, you know, there's less of them. They're snapped up very quickly and they might be more affordable to people. Frank Wilkie 48:08.877
Thank you any further questions yes what is your sense of your sense of how many vacant non-principal places, residences or investment properties there are in relation to accommodation? Is there any thinking around how we can encourage the owners of non-principal place of residence or investment properties to long-term elect? Kim Rawlings 48:35.974
Yeah we are we are doing some work around getting a better sense of vacancies. At last census it's it tells us that there's 18% vacancy rate now that needs to be unpacked because as you know you know people yeah anyway that needs to be unpacked so we are we are looking at a range of sort of data inputs to try and get a more accurate sense of what get a more accurate sense of what our vacancy rate is and then, you know, explore opportunities to encourage, you know, homeowners to either, you know, put them back on the permanent rental, even for a period of time over peak periods or whatever. We will look to do things like that, you know, similar to what we did a couple of years ago in, you know, writing to short-stay owners to, you know, see if we can incentivise Encourage them to put their properties back on into the rental market. And, you know, at that time we tracked it and, you know, we sort of got about 120 swapped back into permanent rental for a variety of reasons, but it was around the time of that sort of campaign that the council did. So, you know, we will continue to do those sorts of things. I think, you know, even if they, you know, if you get a hundred properties. back onto the existing properties, it would take, you know, a year plus to build a hundred properties. So like Rowena talked about before, better utilisation of our existing stock is our best bet in affordability and supply in the short term. Frank Wilkie 50:13.670
And just to go back to the dwelling approvals, 155 homes, 209 units the last financial year. Dwelling approvals only I think you're making the point that they haven't been built yet. Kim Rawlings 50:30.492
Some may have, some may not, or some have started potentially. I'm not sure where those figures come from. So the figures I look at Frank is every month I get the actual building approvals. So people don't get a building permit unless they're building. So I look at the building permits on a monthly basis. As does Luke, as does Tara. And so we have a pretty good understanding on a monthly basis of what's actually being built. Frank Wilkie 51:05.361
So this is from the length of the report, ID Community and Demographic Resources. And it's dwelling approvals, new dwelling approvals. But you've touched on a point that is also critical. touched on a point that is also critical to the housing shortage. It's not that local governments aren't giving approvals, it's that industry is also having challenges in delivering and constructing the dwellings that have been approved. where we've done figures that were in-- in the Brisbane Times for 60,000 pre-approved lots in southeast Queensland that still lay vacant because the development industry are struggling to deliver. So it's a complicated issue. It's not just-- local government lagging, local government's playing its part, but industry needs help to deliver as well. Kim Rawlings 51:53.938
Yeah, construction costs and labour costs are two major constraints to support. Amelia Lorentson 52:01.038
Tom? Tom Wegener 52:02.558
Yeah, kind of an oddball question, typical of me. You know, our assumption is that the economy is going to stay relatively not just Same for a long time, but if there is a crash in the economy, say a recession, would that lead to a larger housing stock, do you think, where the tourism would go down and the STAs in residential neighbourhoods would much more easily revert back to long-term rentals? Anita 52:34.982
I'd say it's hard to predict but it's a possibility and I think that that is the nature of our housing stock that it does go in and out between STA and permanent depending on the market and the supply and how much they're getting. So I guess it's possible. A possibility. It's hard to predict. Amelia Lorentson 52:57.495
This was suggested to me by just some residents and I throw it at you and I think it's good quality that you've already done it. But has a review of our biodiversity mapping ever been undertaken more recently? Have we got land that may not necessarily land that may not necessarily have any environmental or high environmental value that could be used for our diversity mapping and then maybe developed for housing. Have we done a review of that? Kim Rawlings 53:33.404
We've just updated our vegetation biodiversity so the very current review has happened and it's just been approved by the State government so it's very current but as part of the process I mean we do it as part of this SEQ regional plan process and as strategic planners we plan process and the strategic plan is we are regularly looking at our Shire and looking at our constraints because biodiversity is only one of them. We have a lot of others. We have bushfire, we have good quality agricultural land, you know, we have landslip. We have a raft of flood, you know, a raft of constraints in terms of land use and yeah, so we're always looking at land suitability. You know, you also need to consider our own boundary and what's within but you know, as part of SEQ regional planning process and our regular strategic reviews, we look at all the land to see, you know, what might be, have some capability. You know, for future. If it's something that's done regularly. Anita 54:34.124
We also look at opportunities within the urban area to utilise, you know, existing services and infrastructure as well. Yeah. So not just about expansion. It's more about an infill kind of policy that we look at as Amelia Lorentson 54:43.584
Well. It's more about So not just about expansion. And in terms of what states have delivered, you know, new projects, do we... Do we get provided with a report from state that they're doing their own strategic reviews and looking at maximising opportunities on state land? Does that get back into our data? our data in terms of where the work is happening? Yes, yes, yes it does, yes. Any further questions? Thank you, I'm having a second. All in favour, no further comments? Brian Stockwell 55:23.716
Yeah, no, I do have a comment. Amelia Lorentson 55:25.736
Oh, excuse me. Go ahead, Councillor Stockwell. Brian Stockwell 55:29.650
It's a really interesting report in that when you get to the point of setting a strategy and then trying to evaluate it and needing to monitor progress against targets, for the first time I think it's really clear how complex achieving improvement is. When this debate first started, I know the Minister It's a really interesting report. Has just started. I know the ministers of the Times office are saying all we need to do is increase land supply and that completely will be useless in Noosa if our aim is what I think is one of the more important targets in this report and the target is that Noosa remains home to a healthy cross healthy cross-section of society including young people, families and key workers. I think that's at the heart of why it is Noosa Council business to be into housing. I think what the data that we have seen in this report indicated we're moving What it says is that we've seen a loss of low-income families. Now that would be great if it was low-income families who are benefiting from economic diversification and getting higher income jobs, but what we know is it's people who've called Noosa home for decades moving out because they can't afford to live here. They can't find rental premises. It talks about, you know, what we need is a population that maintains a healthy workforce between 18 and 65, but what we find is we have these large gaps. and we find that people who are here traditionally those in housing stress have been in low-key incomes so what we're finding is middle-income families are increasingly in housing stress as well so some people criticize our initiatives to increase housing affordability and increase availability of small dwellings suitable for key workers and small households as being going against population cap. I argue it's exactly the opposite. The population cap in essence is a population cap, in essence, is about how do we create a sustainable community and you can't create a sustainable community if you don't have a healthy cross-section of society, young people, families and key workers, so to me this monitoring activity is really important to reduce a whole system that is at the moment failing so we understand where the best levers are to approach from a leavers are to approach from a policy and planning perspective. So that it may be decades, maybe more, before we start regressing this balance, but we have to take these steps gradually and progressively. Amelia Lorentson 58:08.965
I probably just want to add to that. I agree with your comments, Councillor Stockwell, but just add to that. We really need to consider what housing product that we need to prioritise, and that's that price bracket. I think that's really important. We need to refine exactly the housing product. And I think we need also to collaborate with private entities to make this a reality. We lose our workforce and this town doesn't function. I mean, the divide between the haves and the have-nots becomes greater and greater, and if my kids move out of town, I'm going to move out of town, and I just think there's just unintended consequences when we lose a younger workforce of those younger people, and it's not just about buying homes, as Councillor Stockwell mentioned. We have rental housing stress as well as mortgage housing stress, and my numbers say that 35% of people that are renting are actually having housing stress, which means they're spending over 30% of their rent compared to about 12.9% of people that are enduring mortgage stress. It's also that, like, you know, the old boys that I surf with, this is their home. They have never had another home other than Noosa. And we have a responsibility... We have a responsibility both ethically and as a council to, you know, do what we can to provide rentals and affordable housing products. And that bracket of $6,000 to $900,000 should keep this community functioning and healthy. We need a diverse cross-section of what we're leading here. Frank Wilkie 01:00:09.302
I thank each and every one of you because you've been on this journey for a long time. Prior to the Noosa Plan 2020 coming in, you were flagging and working on the housing needs assessment. We worked together to put together the Noosa Plan 2020 which sought to restrict further spread of STAs in residential neighbourhoods, planning scheme amendments to do so more in medium density and high density in all residential neighbourhoods. And as Councillor Lorentson and Mr Stockwell have said, it's a multifaceted You knew where the stress points were. A multi-faceted problem. We have to work in partnership with the State private industry and use our planning scheme to the best of our ability to provide the opportunities for a diverse range of housing to suit a range of budgets and also that special end of the market where the The housing needs to be subsidised and managed by a community housing provider or the State and I note in the report that the State has already taken up an opportunity to purchase land in Tewantin to provide social or affordable housing right in the Tewantin CBD. So it is good to monitor our progress on this. no more important piece of work that this council will ever do than work to play our part with other levels of government in addressing this national shortage of reliable and affordable housing. So thank you for the report. Amelia Lorentson 01:01:55.391
Hi. you very much. Thank you. And I welcome to the desk Patrick and Richard. And we move to item number eight, reports been made by the committee, planning applications decided by delegate. Welcome Patrick and Richard. Patrick Murphy 01:02:26.740
Our monthly report, each on the applications that have been decided by delegated authority for the month of January, noting the applications that are able to decide under the delegation. A bit of a quieter month, January, knowing the number of public holidays, staff on leave, so the number of applications decided was a bit down on the norm, with 22 applications decided. Looking at the list, nothing of major significance within the list. Amelia Lorentson 01:03:12.627
Questions? I'm just curious, I'm just curious about the one at Production Street, change to solar conditions include mud crabs. What's going on there? Aquaculture, there's an aquaculture. They're an aquaculture tank. Well, you've caught me on the run, to be honest. I'm not sure of the actual detail of the application, but I would assume that would be the content of the application. Brian Stockwell 01:03:45.883
Thank you. Amelia Lorentson 01:03:48.701
Patrick, we just spoke about government targets and, you know, approvals. Is there an opportunity or opinion that you would consider as part of the delegated report to have what our targets are? Report to have what our targets are and how we're going. Is that something that should be, shouldn't be included, but be encouraged to have just a running report to understand how close we are to our targets? Yeah, we certainly can do, I think probably monthly is probably not overly helpful, but certainly on an annual basis around how we're tracking. As Kim tracking as Kim Rawlings mentioned earlier there's a difference between approvals issued and then actually delivered product as well so that's closely monitored on a monthly basis in terms of what's actually approved but then what's actually finalised and actually ready So those are the two elements we need to monitor closely, but certainly I think doing at least an annual or a six-monthly report is a good idea and helpful in terms of how we're tracking with approvals. also delivery as well. I just think importantly to note that the decisions that are made by through planning will not reflect all the dwelling approvals and the secondary dwelling approvals that are So it's more relevant, I think, in terms of what Richard said around building approvals. Yeah, because a number of homes and secondary dwellings won't require any planning approval. It's all accepted development under the planning scheme, so a large volume of the...doesn't actually get assessed by council. It's deemed to comply and certifies or approves those without any approvals from council as part of that. And that will be catched under a different report? Yeah, correct. Patrick Murphy 01:05:41.042
We could look to do that on a new basis. I think it would be a good idea to average out the ups and Frank Wilkie 01:05:51.806
Questions? You've made the report shows there's 22 approvals given in the month of January, so it's a slow month. you were first wondering what's the typical number of approvals in an average what Patrick Murphy 01:06:02.840
Month? Mid-thirties, mid-thirties, low to mid-thirties is generally the trend that we're seeing. Frank Wilkie 01:06:09.760
It was December, summer, and January. That was... Patrick Murphy 01:06:35.094
Over the Christmas period, so usually a higher period. Patrick might be able to pull up the report. It is generally a busier month for those reasons that Richard has identified. Generally, again, a lot of consultants away, staff away quite a month, and then you often see a little bit of a dip going into the end of financial year. Yes. And then picking up after that period. Frank Wilkie 01:06:58.699
And may I ask how are the staffing levels in DA? Patrick Murphy 01:07:04.121
They're good. We have a vacant planner role which has been recently filled and that will be starting in the next few weeks. That will complete the number of planners. We had a new compliance officer yesterday that had been a vacant compliance officer role for a period of been a vacant compliance officer role for a period of time, so that's great that we've got someone now on the ground. Development engineering has got a number of roles that have been filled as well. They'll be starting, one officer starts next week and then the second officer starts a couple of there's some good resources coming through the team at the moment which is really good given how difficult you know planners and engineering roles are across the State at the moment. So good to have access to some really good so good to have access to some really good candidates for those roles. Frank Wilkie 01:07:51.689
Thank you. Brian Stockwell 01:07:55.869
Just, 4-6 Hay Street, was the extension to the currency is only mentioned for the operational work, so the change in terms of the amount of lots, I just remember that application. being a little bit tricky, I think, from memory, in terms of lot layouts and mango trees and things like that. Can you just tell me what... I might have to come back to you on that one, Patrick Murphy 01:08:25.836
Councillor, just to give you details. I had a look on the mapping and it is the site, I think it is, but it only talks about two lots lots were where there, the original the original approval approvals. was for The more that might be a second or third stage being combined, I don't know. Amelia Lorentson 01:08:41.184
Any further questions, Councillor Stockwell? Sorry, Werner? Tom Wegener 01:08:46.784
No, I'm good, thank you. Fantastic. Amelia Lorentson 01:08:49.944
No further questions, all those in favour? Tom Wegener 01:08:53.404
Can I have a mover and a seconder? Tom, do you want to move? I'll move it. Thank you and a seconder please. Thank you, Amelia Lorentson 01:08:59.982
Mayor Wilkie. All in favour? Fantastic. Thank you, Patrick. Thank you, Richard. There are no confidential sessions and I now declare the meeting closed at 9.42am. Thank you everyone for your attendance. and a team for each other, excuse me. And thank you, those online. Related Noosa Council Meetings
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