By Margaret Maccoll
In a spectacular turnaround Noosa councillors refused a development for a medical centre in Cooroy at its Ordinary Meeting that the majority had approved at its General Meeting three days earlier.
On Monday last week a 4:3 majority of Noosa councillors defied staff recommendations to
refuse a development application, that sought to relocate a building within a “heritage character area” to build a medical facility in Cooroy, and instead voted to approve it to make way for the construction of a medical centre.
The proposed development of a specialist radiology medical centre aimed to reconfigure four lots into two lots fronting 45 and 47A Maple and 9 Myall streets in Cooroy.Following a lengthy debate at Council’s General Meeting on Monday councillors Clare Stewart, Amelia Lorentson, Karen Finkel and Tom Wegener voted in favour of the
applicant for the medical development despite strong staff recommendations it was not consistent with the Noosa Plan 2006 in not protecting the heritage character building nor complementing the traditional country streetscape. The development application was also contrary to the 2020 Noosa Plan which seeks to protect heritage qualities and streetscape character, staff said.
After social media lobbying and a flurry of emails councillors reversed their decision 6:1 in favour of staff recommendations to refuse the application and so retain the Queenslander house that sits opposite Eden Private Hospital and commercial businesses and is flanked by a vacant block then brick and tile home one side and 1970s timber house the other.
At Thursday’s Ordinary Meeting Cr Brian Stockwell moved to reinstate staff’s original motion to refuse the application, retain the heritage character building and uphold the Noosa Plan.
Three out of the four councillors who had voted against staff recommendations only days earlier followed suit.
Cr Tom Wegener said as a councillor he was elected to follow the town plan.
Cr Amelia Lorentson said after speaking to heritage architects she had a better understanding of character buildings. She said the application was not consistent with the Noosa Plan and approving it may set a precedent that would see further erosion of heritage precincts.
Cr Karen Finzel said the building was a character building that reflected the character precinct and removing it would erode the character precinct.
Councillors voted 6:1 in support of staff recommendations to refuse the application.
Only Mayor Clare Stewart stood firm in voting for the application to be approved.
The Noosa Plan should be upheld and character areas protected but that needs to be balanced accordingly with the needs of our community, she said.
Cr Stewart said a Heritage Impact Assessment conducted in March was provided in support of the application and asserted that the house had no heritage significance as it has not been placed on the Noosa Council Local Heritage Register, the character area had been already substantially eroded by prior contemporary redevelopment, streetscape analysis supported removal and it was no longer a residential precinct.
“After a site visit, I concluded that this was in fact the case,“ she said.“I also argued that the benefit to the wider community of providing necessary and vital medical services should be of high importance. We are an ageing population. Our hinterland residents deserve access to the same facilities as those residents in Noosaville and Noosa Heads.
“I argued that the house should be protected but that it should be relocated to a precinct that was more suitable.“
