A revamped development application for a 69-bed hotel at Noosa Springs came before Noosa Council’s Environment and Planning committee meeting on Tuesday and was immediately referred to council’s general meeting next Monday due to the significance of the matter but not before councillors raised questions on the application, many originating from community concerns.
Since the application first came to Council in 2023, then for a 106-room hotel, a range of issues have been raised including the sites split zoning, the potential odour impacts of the nearby sewage treatment plant, bushfire risk, the impact on ecology, carparking and built form.
Deputations have been put to council for the development from the applicant GH Australia and opposed to it by Noosa Springs residents and sewage treatment plant operator Unitywater.
Several times the applicant has halted the application process prior to a final decision being made by council.
The current application includes amendments to reduce the size of the hotel from 106 to 69 beds with the removal of the pavilion located closest to the sewage treatment plant, reduce the size of its two swimming pools and increase the size of its amenities building for wellness facilities and increase a tennis court to pro-tour size.
A staff report states the “request for a minor change stems from concerns raised by councillors about the scale of the development, which unavoidably, extends into the Recreation and Open Space Zone and partly into the Biodiversity, Waterways and Wetlands Overlay (Biodiversity Overlay) towards the east of the site”.
Raising community concerns Cr Amelia Lorentson asked if the applicant could guarantee there would be no expansion beyond the current proposal and staff replied the matter had not been discussed but there was no binding mechanism to prevent someone seeking their lawful right to achieve a change to a development.
When asked about possible amenity impacts from increased rubbish collection staff said waste was now being collected daily from a loading dock at Noosa Springs. If the development was to proceed there would be no need to increase frequency of collection, just more bins collected daily with an expected deliverer of the same level of noise for a slightly longer time, staff said.
Cr Lorentson asked if sewage odour complaints arose who would be responsible for addressing it.
Staff said Unitywater had a duty not to produce odours and odour complaints would be the fault of the wastewater plant. The officer said conditions had been placed on the application to ensure the developer took on a significant obligation to restrict and manage odour including restricting pool usage times, installation of carbon filtration and the applicant had increased the development’s separation from the sewage treatment plant.
Staff said it was not reasonable to require the developer to upgrade the sewage treatment plant in response to odour complaints.
Cr Lorentson asked about the impact to the operation of the tennis courts, pilates and other current services during construction.
Staff said the tennis court would be able to come back once it’d been constructed and they would seek further information on changes to other facilities.
Mayor Frank Wilkie said residents had raised genuine concerns about fire risk, in particular with a single road access to the site. Staff said the reduced size of the development had increased its separation from bush land and reduced its bushfire risk. They said in the event of a fire the developer had evacuation plans for residents to gather in the main Noosa Springs building or on the golf course and an alternate road to Eenie Creek Road and a track could be opened by police or QFES to provide alternate vehicle exits from the precinct in an emergency.
Council staff have recommended councillors approve the development application subject to conditions outlined in its report. The application will be discussed at Council’s general meeting next Monday.
