Joanne Hoey
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QUESTION 1.
What current, site-specific expert reports did Council rely on to select 94 and 170 Holts Road for industrial rezoning? In particular: hydrology, water quality/contamination, geotechnical, ecological and traffic assessments — and will Council publish those reports in full before making a final decision?
Response provided by Kim Rawlings, Director Strategy & Environment
The subject sites were included by the State in the Urban Footprint as part of the 2023 Regional Plan Review specifically for Employment/ Industrial development. Council did not commission standalone, site-specific reports for the purpose of determining the proposed rezoning. Council’s assessment of the suitability of the site for industrial zoning was informed by a range of existing technical information and mapping, including overlay mapping in Noosa Plan 2020, which identified characteristics such as Biodiversity, Bushfire, Landslide and Regional Water Catchment Area. Planning overlays are based on technical analysis undertaken by both the State Government and Council.
The proposed Environmental Management & Conservation zone is applied over the constrained areas. Requirements for onsite water sensitive urban design solutions for stormwater management and reticulated water and effluent disposal are included in Noosa Plan 2020. SEQ Water have not raised any additional requirements as part of the proposed amendment in relation to development in the water catchment area. Traffic modelling undertaken in 2026 considered the development of the site for employment land as proposed by Amendment No. 4. This modelling did not identify a requirement for significant upgrades to the existing local road network surrounding the site or within Cooroy town centre.
The subject sites were not listed on the Environmental Management/Contaminated Land Register as of December 23, 2024, and there have been no activities carried out on the properties since that would have led to their inclusion.
The site is considered suitable for rezoning for Industrial purposes as detailed in proposed Amendment 4 of the Noosa Plan 2020. Further detailed assessments will be required at the development assessment stage to ensure any proposed development meets the requirements of Noosa Plan 2020.
QUESTION 2
What comparative assessment was undertaken of alternative industrial/employment sites, and why was Holts Road selected over those alternatives?
Response provided by Kim Rawlings, Director Strategy & Environment
What current, site-specific expert reports did Council rely on to select 94 and 170 Holts Road for industrial rezoning? In particular: hydrology, water quality/contamination, geotechnical, ecological and traffic assessments — and will Council publish those reports in full before making a final decision?
Response provided by Kim Rawlings, Director Strategy & Environment
The subject sites were included by the State in the Urban Footprint as part of the 2023 Regional Plan Review specifically for Employment/ Industrial development. Council did not commission standalone, site-specific reports for the purpose of determining the proposed rezoning. Council’s assessment of the suitability of the site for industrial zoning was informed by a range of existing technical information and mapping, including overlay mapping in Noosa Plan 2020, which identified characteristics such as Biodiversity, Bushfire, Landslide and Regional Water Catchment Area. Planning overlays are based on technical analysis undertaken by both the State Government and Council.
The proposed Environmental Management & Conservation zone is applied over the constrained areas. Requirements for onsite water sensitive urban design solutions for stormwater management and reticulated water and effluent disposal are included in Noosa Plan 2020. SEQ Water have not raised any additional requirements as part of the proposed amendment in relation to development in the water catchment area. Traffic modelling undertaken in 2026 considered the development of the site for employment land as proposed by Amendment No. 4. This modelling did not identify a requirement for significant upgrades to the existing local road network surrounding the site or within Cooroy town centre.
The subject sites were not listed on the Environmental Management/Contaminated Land Register as of December 23, 2024, and there have been no activities carried out on the properties since that would have led to their inclusion.
The site is considered suitable for rezoning for Industrial purposes as detailed in proposed Amendment 4 of the Noosa Plan 2020. Further detailed assessments will be required at the development assessment stage to ensure any proposed development meets the requirements of Noosa Plan 2020.
QUESTION 2
What comparative assessment was undertaken of alternative industrial/employment sites, and why was Holts Road selected over those alternatives?
Response provided by Kim Rawlings, Director Strategy & Environment
Council is required to ensure that Noosa Plan 2020 continues to meet the future needs and land requirements of Noosa Shire. Council undertook the Noosa Employment Lands Review to assess the future need for industrial land as well as deliver the outcomes sought by the Noosa Economic Development Strategy 2021-2030. This study identified a shortfall of Medium Impact Industrial land in 2031 and Low Impact Industrial land by 2041. The study considered potential sites for this shortfall to be located taking into consideration access to major freight routes, natural constraints, being contiguous to existing industrial development and key service infrastructure and located where it would not result in amenity impacts on more consolidated urban residential zoned land.
Industrial zoning can only be applied to land within the urban footprint. Noosa Shire has limited availability of greenfield sites within the urban footprint due to existing natural constraints and development. Undeveloped industrial zoned land such as Carpenters Road have already been considered in the overall future demand assessment identified in the Employment Land Review. These sites also have constraints that need to be addressed before they are development-ready.
No other sites within the existing urban footprint were identified through the Employment Land Review as being suitable to meet the projected land and locational requirements for future industrial development. The Holts Road sites were identified as the preferred location to accommodate this future demand due to:
- Location within the urban boundary,
- Proximity to major freight routes with an existing interchange to access the Bruce Highway,
- Being contiguous with existing industrial land and existing infrastructure services,
- Being of a size that can deliver on the future demand,
- Not being located near dense residential development or land within a residential zone, and
- No hazards or constraints that cannot be mitigated or managed as part of any future development.
The meeting adjourned at 10.25am
The meeting resumed at 10.40am
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What was said?
Named discussion on NoosaWatch TV
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Joanne Hoey16:25
Good morning everyone. I am Joanne hoey and I'm proudly here to represent the Noosa hinterland environmental protection agency incorporated, as many of us are as well. The proposed Holts Road amendment would introduce medium impact industrial development into an area currently categorised by rural and residential land uses and located within an environmentally sensitive catchment. Residents have raised concerns about potential impacts on water quality, drainage, flooding, biodiversity, traffic, noise and neighbouring properties. Given the scale and the performance of the proposed rezoning, it is important to understand what site-specific investigations were completed before Holts Road was identified. Of particular interest are hydrological, water quality, ecological. Geotechnical and traffical assessments. The community seeks confirmation that these reports exist, that they directly assess the Holts Road and that they will be publicly available before any final decision is made. So my question is, what current site-specific expert reports did Council rely on to select 94 and 170 Holts Road for industrial rezoning? In particular, hydrology, water contamination, geotechnical, ecological and traffic hydrology, water quality, assessments and will Council publish those reports in full before making a final decision.
Joanne Hoey20:26
Wonderful, thank you. So my second question is: the central concern is whether Holts Road was selected after a transparent comparison with other available or already zoned employment industrial. Other sites including land at or near Carpenters Road and existing industrial areas in Cooroy may provide opportunities with fewer impact on rural character, residential amenity and environmental values. The community would like to understand what alternative sites were examined, what criteria was used and how Holts Road compared in relation to infrastructure, road access, servicing, environmental constraints, land availability, cost and compatibility with surrounding uses. A clear comparative. Assessment would demonstrate whether Holts Road is genuinely the most appropriate location or whether less sensitive alternatives could meet the same planning objectives so my question is what comparative assessment was undertaken of alternative industrial employment sites and why was Holts Road selected over these alternatives?
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