The alliance of local community organisations which gathered forces to fight the Queensland Government’s State Facilitated Developments proposed for Noosa Shire has welcomed the LNP announcement that it will ensure the developments are compliant with the local planning scheme.
Noosa Shire Residents & Ratepayers Association (NSR&RA), Peregian Beach Community Association (PBCA), and Noosa Parks Association (NPA) are all in agreement that the LNP’s commitment is the correct and rational response to the SFD debacle unleashed by Housing, Local Government and Planning Minister Meaghan Scanlon.
“If allowed to continue without alteration, the two SFD proposals for Noosa, one in Noosa Junction and the other in Tewantin, would see out-of-scale developments occur with zero regard for Noosa’s long-standing, historical development controls,“ said NPA’s Greg Reddaway.
“Noosa’s brand is reliant upon the very differences that define Noosa, and that includes the avoidance of big city symbols such as high-rise buildings. Those differences are our market strength, our economic strength and what make Noosa such a terrific place to live.“
As PBCA president Barry Cotterell said, “If they proceed as envisaged, the SFD developments will inevitably create an unwelcome precedent for Noosa, breaching the building height limits contained in the Noosa Plan and its proposed planning amendments. If the SFDs proceed in their current form, the door will be open for other high-rise developments to follow.“
“It’s important to note that each of our organisations agrees that effort needs to be made to ensure there is affordable housing in Noosa Shire,“ said NSR&RA’s Adrian Williams.
“None of us are opposed to affordable housing. We are, however, opposed to having our planning scheme, developed with considerable community input, sidelined and overridden. Affordable housing can be delivered within the guidelines established by the Noosa Plan, as our council has identified.“
“The LNP promise to ensure that any State Facilitated Developments are delivered in collaboration with the local council is music to our ears,“ said Greg Reddaway. “That is how these developments should have been approached from the very outset.“
