It was a motion tucked away in the minutes of Noosa Council’s ordinary meeting of 20 July that would not have attracted the attention of many, but its subject matter is set to explode, potentially becoming the biggest issue affecting the Noosa lifestyle since amalgamation 15 years ago.
Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie proposed that a motion be sent from council to the October annual conference of the Local Government Association of Queensland that “the LGAQ calls on the State Government to respect the dwelling and population growth projections as advised, and planned for, by each South-East Queensland Local Government and provide adequate funding for infrastructure to match any increase in dwelling and population projections imposed by the State Government during the Shaping SEQ Review process.
“That the State respect the population and dwelling targets as planned for by each SEQ council to maintain liveability, amenity and enable properly funded infrastructure to keep pace with development.”
As background to the motion, Cr Wilkie added: “The State government is undertaking a review of the SEQ Regional Plan and appears to be drastically increasing population and dwelling projections for SEQ councils, regardless of whether they are attainable or realistic”.
At the 20 July meeting councillors ratified the motion unanimously and it has now been forwarded to the LGAQ to consider for its conference agenda where delegates from 77 Queensland councils would vote on it.
Cr Wilkie’s reference to “drastically increasing population and dwelling projections” was indicative of real fears at Pelican Street council chambers that what councillors and planning officers were told would merely be “a tweak” of the regional plan could become a devastating growth agenda forced on us by the state government.
Those fears were confirmed in a statement from Deputy Premier and Planning Minister Steven Miles last weekend, ahead of the imminent release of the updated draft SEQ Regional Plan for community consultation, with the population of Noosa Shire now projected to increase by 18,677 (33 per cent) between 2021 and 2046, from 56,873 to 75,550, thereby blowing the Noosa Plan and the so-called population cap out of the water.
Dr Miles said: “People are moving to Queensland in droves and who can blame them?
“We are in our decade of opportunity. We have a strong economy. We have a 10-year pipeline of infrastructure projects in the lead up to and beyond Brisbane 2032.
“And we are creating good, secure jobs in the key industries that will help us decarbonise. “Thanks to all of this, and our great Queensland lifestyle, we’ve seen record levels of net interstate migration and now increasing international immigration.
“Why live in Melbourne when you could live in SEQ? Because our population is growing, we need to get ready to build more of the Queensland we love.”
Many Noosa residents would argue that the more you build, the less there is to love.
Cr Wilkie told Noosa Today: “If imposed, this level of intensification would be like experiencing peak holiday period all year round.
“These targets are neither responsible nor realistic. As per the current SEQ plan projections, the Noosa Planning Scheme has created capacity for 64,000 by 2041, not 76,000 by 2046. Feedback during the public consultation ought to be strongly against.”
Independent Noosa MP Sandy Bolton told this reporter: “If the state government sticks with these figures after public consultation and our advocacy, Noosa will fight it and I’ll be leading the charge.
“It may be a very tough fight, hence we need everyone behind our efforts.
“As soon as the draft is out I’ll be working alongside council to get these numbers down and demonstrate to government the significant threats these pose to our community and infrastructure, as well to our economy.
“In addition, the impacts from potential increased visitations from surrounding areas with their projected population increases need to be addressed. We need a sensible, sustainable outcome, and there is no room for complacency.”
Peering into his crystal ball on the Noosa Matters website the weekend before this blew up, former mayor Tony Wellington wrote: “While staff and I were able to hold the line during the development of the 2017 SEQ Regional Plan, and thus ensure there was no increase in the urban footprint for Noosa, that may not be possible in the near future. It certainly won’t be feasible without a council that is willing to fight against pressure from the state for Noosa to accommodate many more people.”
Noosa Parks Association’s Michael Gloster believes Noosa has no alternative but to fight: “The brutal reality is that in Queensland, state governments have the power to impose a South East Queensland Regional Plan, and to require local councils to modify their town plans accordingly.
“We have just learnt about the extra 18,000 plus residents; by week’s end it is likely we will learn that the state expects Noosa Council to change its town plan to allow as-of-right townhouses and duplexes across all of Noosa’s coastal residential properties. Increased height limits could be in the mix as well.
“If Noosa just screams at the state to leave us alone because we are special, we will be all but ignored, and have an unwanted town plan imposed on us before the state election in August 2024. And what chance a new government would wind back a go-for-growth SEQ regional plan?
“So, Noosa must fight, but must fight smart. Otherwise, Noosa residents’ amenity will be under threat every day, year after year.”
While the rumoured fast-tracking of up to 10,000 new residents over the next three years was not confirmed in the ministerial statement, Dr Miles did confirm the proposed rezoning strategy.
“To meet the needs of our growing Queensland and ensure we maintain our great lifestyle, we need more housing supply and a better mix of housing options. This means building more units, townhouses and terraces.”
Council’s planning officers have been negotiating with their state counterparts as the release of the draft review for public consultation draws nearer, and kicking back hard against its potential impact on Noosa, but as one observer told this masthead: “It’s clear that what’s driving this is the current crisis in available and affordable housing and the state’s reaction to it.
“That horse has bolted and it seems they are scrambling to appear to be doing something. But the housing crisis also provides the perfect pretext for imposing super high growth targets.”
While there will be no real answers for Noosa until well after the consultation across SEQ has finished, the battle lines have already been drawn.
