Should council be adopting and implementing major infrastructure and planning changes without any consideration of potential economic impacts?
Noosa Chamber of Commerce has been dismayed to hear the answer is yes, according to feedback from Noosa Council town planners.
A great deal of concern is being voiced by Noosa residents and business owners due to the scale and potential long term negative impacts of several projects either recently out for consultation, or soon to be.
The recently released 80 per cent Noosaville Foreshore Infrastructure Master Plan incorporated no economic impact study of the potential impacts of removing over 100 parking spaces from the precinct.
Likewise, proposed rezoning in the Noosa Plan amendments involved no economic impact analysis or assessment of viability to determine if the outcomes are likely, or even at all possible, given land values in some areas.
In the Gympie Terrace, Noosaville precinct the two separate draft plans – the Noosaville Master Plan and the Noosa Plan Amendments – together have the potential to remove 146 parking spaces, in the face of a growing and ageing Noosa population.
In fact, it has become apparent that the two draft plans progressed to public consultation without consultation among the council staff involved – so the total volume of parking spaces potentially being removed was a surprise to council staff too.
The master plan refers to alternate parking available at the Albert Street car park, while the Nooa Plan amendments rezone the space as high density residential.
It is dismaying that local governments are under no obligation to conduct economic impact assessments in such wide reaching pieces of work. Unfortunately the already released drafts of the Noosa River Plan and the Destination Management Plan were likewise without economic assessment and the likelihood is the final versions will also omit this important step before decisions are made.
Noosa Council recently chose to not put its draft 2024 = 2025 budget out for public consultation.
Again there is no legislative obligation to do this, however, that did not stop consultation being done in the previous Noosa Council term in order to enhance transparency, accountability and community engagement.
It is clear the State Government does not insist on economic analyses of proposed planning scheme amendments as part of the mandatory State Interest Review process.
So, for example, where the planning scheme amendments are promoted as addressing the shortage of affordable housing by requiring 75sqm dwellings, it does not factor in the cost of the land. So how serious is the commitment to affordable housing in the amendments put forward?
In Noosa affordable housing simply does not exist.
Primarily our housing consists of four or more bedrooms with one or two occupants. So building two or three bedroom accommodation for key workers with partners or families is a priority to ensure our aged care, our hospital, schools, police force, etc are fully staffed to cope with a growing and ageing population.
But some of the Noosa Plan amendment proposals just don’t stack up financially and none have been costed.
Who is going to buy an old home in Noosaville for current price of say $1.5 or $2 million, demolish and build three small 75sqm apartments to then rent out for $400 a week?
How will anyone be able to justify a return of just $1200 a week on a capital cost of over $2.5 million? It simply will not happen.
The Noosa Chamber of Commerce calls for real commitment and a realistic approach to increasing affordable housing supply – not just rezoning existing property which is unlikely to ever to be realised.
The need is urgent as new home approvals have been declining in Noosa for years. The graph near-by shows how little new housing is approved each year, with much of that being to knock down and rebuild four or five bedroom homes as opposed to new builds.
The proposed Noosa Plan amendments fail at the first hurdle – no economic modelling to demonstrate the desired outcome could ever be delivered.
Noosa’s population is ageing more rapidly than elsewhere in Queensland, with the productive 30 to 50 year old age group unable to afford living in Noosa and having to live elsewhere.
Unless Noosa gets serious about increasing housing supply, we will fail as a society because the critical employees Noosa needs to function will not be living here.
To further explore what is going on in our economy the Noosa Chamber has two sessions planned.
The first is a deep dive into what is happening right now in terms of the national, state and local economies. To be held at The Boathouse 31 July and presented by Senator Jane Hume.
Senator Humes’ economic credentials are significant ranging from investment research and private banking with NAB through to management positions with Rothchilds, vice president at Deutsche Bank and policy advisor to Australian Super. Senator Hume is currently the shadow minister for finance.
It is an event not to be missed.
The second event being planned for late August will deal with the State Government’s responsibilities and obligations to oversee sound economic policies of local governments.
Tickets are available via the Noosa Chamber of Commerce website. New members and guests are welcome. Visit noosachamberofcommerce.au/events
