By JOLENE OGLE
A LOCAL developer has slammed The Noosa Plan as “inflexible” and “out-of-date” after being served a show cause notice for breaches in a planning approval.
Ralph Rogers, who recently opened the multi-million dollar Acres development in Noosaville, said a show cause notice for breaching his original development approval showed how “out-of-date” The Noosa Plan was.
“The 2006 Noosa Plan is not reflecting what the lifestyle is now,” he said.
“We live in changing times and the planning scheme should reflect that.”
Noosa Council planning and environment manager Kerri Coyle said residents had raised “valid concerns” that aspects of the Acres development were “inconsistent with the planning approvals for the site”.
The issues included noise from a cool room, a substantial cafe expansion and the opening of a clothing shop.
“Council granted the landowner approvals in 2012 and 2013 to modify and expand the garden centre.
The application sought approval for a small cafe of 19 seats, it made no mention of a retail clothing shop,” Ms Coyle said.
Council officers have raised the concerns with Mr Rogers who has since enclosed the cool room, and Ms Coyle said the show cause notice set out a number of options for resolving the other issues.
“The owner cannot just set aside planning scheme requirements, and must ensure that what is occurring on the site has formal approval,” she said.
While Mr Rogers admits he should have known better, he blames an “element of naivety”.
“If I had known how inflexible the plan was then I wouldn’t have tried it,” he said.
Mr Rogers also argues the retail store should be seen as ancillary use as it is “no bigger than a market stall” at 20 square metres and it was also common to see fashion elements in many of the lifestyle and garden centres throughout the country.
“I’m trying to take a world-class approach to an industry that is being killed off by big box retailers,” he said.
“Acres is reflecting future trends. This is a blueprint for the future.”
Mr Rogers said Noosa needed to keep up with the changing business and social landscape, or risk falling behind.
“The Noosa Plan is so fixed, it’s not keeping up with the changing world,” he said.
“If Noosa has such a claustrophobic attitude to development and innovation, developers will simply go elsewhere.”
And that’s a move Noosa can’t afford, according to Mr Rogers, who said an ageing population paired with an average weekly income 20 per cent lower than the state average was a recipe for disaster in Noosa.
“Acres is all about innovation and giving young people a go to help drive business and economic growth,” Mr Rogers said.
Ms Coyle said council was due to start a review of the shire’s planning scheme next year, saying it was a process that would involve input from the community.
“This is an ideal opportunity for landowners and business owners to raise concerns they have about the current scheme,” she said.
