The Dianella Court and Neighbours Steering Committee of Cooroy last week met with Noosa Council to present them with scaled-back counter proposal for a social and affordable housing development at 62 Lake Macdonald Drive site after raising concerns over Council’s housing proposal.
Residents were concerned about health risks from remediation of contaminated land, the need for the land for cemetery expansion, the loss of wildlife habitat, increased flooding potential and the density and isolation of the housing project in the low-density area from local services.
Council’s Housing Strategy identified 62 Lake MacDonald Dr, Cooroy for investigation for social and affordable housing and to undertake appropriate consultation with the local community.
On its website Council states it proposes to subdivide the land into five lots – one with 1ha lot for cemetery expansion, three large residential lots for multiple dwellings (units) and one lot for stormwater management and water treatment.
To retain housing as affordable (below market rent) it needed to be managed by a Community Housing Provider so Council resolved to sell the proposed Lot 1 portion of the site to Coast2Bay Housing Group, a local Tier 1 not-for-profit Community Housing Provider to fulfil this purpose following their success in obtaining a State Government grant to provide social housing.
The housing proposal includes construction of 25 one and two-bedroom units with a maximum height of buildings being two storeys and 8 metres.
The mix of housing proposed for lots 2 and 3 has not yet been determined but will also be no greater than 2 storeys and 8 metres above the natural ground level.
The residents group steering committee met with councillors and staff to deliver their counter proposal.
The big stumbling block with any development on this site is the contamination, resident group spokesperson and former owner of the land Pat Spicer said. “Residents’ counter development proposal is contingent on any remediation at all being proven not to pose any risk to surrounding neighbours and the environment before starting. Without this proof, Noosa Council would leave itself open to a class action should one or more residents become ill with an illness related to the contamination at 62 Lake MacDonald Drive,” Pat said.
“Basically, the proposal scales back the number of dwellings although the area for the proposed Coast2Bay development is larger than that on the council proposal. A recreational area adjoining the housing development is included. There was no recreational area on the council proposal. The space for cemetery expansion will be doubled and the trees will be maintained on the site in keeping with the council’s Cemetery Management Plan, June 2024. The Gympie Messmate (uncontaminated) area will be restored and used as a bush internment site. The Pine Tree area has a large amount of contamination. This area will be left untouched and have a Site Management Plan because of the contamination. Removing surface asbestos, mainly due to testing, and covering the area with soil and mulch is recommended by the residents’ group. Carrying out this restoration would leave the asbestos covered in the soil and stabilised by the tree roots. The ecologically significant waterway would connect to the Gympie Messmate area creating a Central Park area on the site. This park area would connect to the recreational area for the Coast2bay housing development. A separate road entrance is proposed which would avoid the congestion at Dianella Court /Lake MacDonald Drive intersection and provide a second entrance for future cemetery area. Flooding in the area would not be exacerbated and soil erosion would be reduced because a large area of the site would be left stabilised by the vegetation. The over-scale proposal by council would place an unmanageable burden on infrastructure and services in Cooroy. This proposal reduces the impact on the site along with reducing the amount of traffic and other demands on Cooroy.
Interestingly, we have been told the 1999 council bought the land for two purposes – expansion of the cemetery and to ensure the land was not developed.”
Noosa Council’s Strategy and Environment Director Kim Rawlings said 62 Lake Macdonald Drive, Cooroy was a key site identified in Council’s Housing Strategy for housing to accommodate key local workers and residents on low incomes, which would help meet the housing targets imposed by the state.
“Council staff have met with residents of nearby Dianella Court and Viola Place to answer their questions and understand any concerns about the site remediation and subdivision process, and use of the site for housing,” she said.
“Council is yet to go to tender for site remediation, but staff have assured residents that any remediation process is highly regulated and must be managed by skilled specialists, with strict protocols in place to manage and mitigate any risks.
“Council welcomes the feedback residents provided during the recent meeting and staff will continue to work closely with the local community on the outcomes for this site.
Pat said the residents’ group were extremely grateful to Council for receiving their proposal in a positive manner and carrying out technical investigations as to the feasibility of the proposal.
“Residents and Council will meet again in two to three weeks once council has had time to fully investigate the proposal. Whether the proposal is feasible will then be known,” she said.
