(This story has been updated to reflect that some businesses mentioned in an earlier version are neighbouring but not directly impacted by the development application.)
“Local planning decisions need to be made in Noosa, not Brisbane.”
That’s the main takeaway statement from Noosa’s independent MP Sandy Bolton, following her partly successful attempt to garner more information about two proposed ‘affordable housing’ developments filed under the state government’s new State Facilitated Development (SFD) assessment system, designed to fast-track development applications (DAs) which include a minimum 15% affordable housing component.
If approved the applications will set a precedent that will potentially open the floodgates to developers for unstoppable high-rise building in Noosa Shire.
Housing minister Meaghan Scanlon last Monday indicated that the two applications – for a 195-unit DA at Noosa junction and a 40-unit proposal at Tewantin – should advance to ‘Stage 2’ under the SFD system.
“The updated information now provided includes building heights of five to six storeys for Noosa Junction and three to four storeys for Tewantin, which is one-to-two storeys higher than what is in Noosa Council’s amendments to the Noosa Plan 2020,” Ms Bolton said.
“This goes against what our community, through its planning scheme, has decreed is acceptable,” she said.
Noosa mayor Frank Wilkie said the SFD process “blatantly disrespects Noosa’s planning scheme, which has been developed on the back of extensive community input and been the backbone of Noosa’s unique character and appeal”.
Applicants are to now lodge a detailed DA to the SFD department for assessment within 40 business days. The department then has 75 business days to assess and decide on the application – this includes a requirement for the applicant to undertake a 20-day minimum consultation period to allow community feedback.
No appeal rights exist either for a council or the community to challenge any decision once made.
Mayor Wilkie said the DA building heights disregard what the community has worked to preserve and “now threaten to undo decades of diligent work by successive councils and the Noosa community to create low-rise precincts our residents and visitors know and love”.
Both Ms Bolton and Cr Wilkie are urging the community to make their opinions known when the consultation periods starts. Let’s all prepare for that. It’s likely to be early next year.
“Complacency is not an option, and should your voices go unheard, we will take them via busloads to the front of Parliament House,” Ms Bolton said.
While Ms Bolton and Mayor Wilkie are solidly against the state’s SFD process, in a Courier Mail report on Friday Noosa LNP candidate Clare Stewart has “stopped short of promising to reverse the government’s move to sideline the council and push ahead with two large-scale housing developments.
Ms Stewart famously voted against adopting the council’s own then-brand-new 2020 planning scheme when she became Noosa Mayor in 2020.
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Clare Stewart has said, “LNP can get the balance tight and address the housing challenges we face, while respecting local communities”. Yes, though Noosa voters deserve a simple strategic commitment rather than a rhetorical political position statement. Most recently, amalgamation was reversed due to a pre election pledge by an aspiring LNP opposition. With polls forecasting a landslide win for the LNP within days, Ms Stewart has to stake out exactly where both she and her party stand as to reversing the proposed high rise State Facilitated Developments.
Noosa residents are facing a threat to their precious wellbeing. The SFD is the latest vehicle to give free range to developers, with Council unwilling to resist the power of the State. Tewantin, Cooroy and Noosa Junction are now included. The community will again be obliged to respond by opposing these roads to congestion.
John, the Council is willing but absolute legal power is with the State. The community is responding, as only people political power can now save Noosa from this senseless knee-jerk action of the State.
It would be very interesting to know who the current landlord is, respectively who is behind this application? This can’t just be some out of town developers…
On the bright side, this development proposal should ensure the defeat of Clare Stewart in the upcoming state election.
LNP leader and QLD premier-hopeful David Crisafulli doesn’t need to flip-flop on his already stated position in support of the SFD policy. Quite simply, he is on track to win in a landslide and picking up Noosa isn’t critical to his election math.
I hope Sandy Bolton wedges Ms Stewart hard on this issue.
Ms Stewart will be twisting herself in knots. It will pain her greatly to take a public stand against the Noosa family and Noosa elites behind the Junction proposal.
Go Sandy. You probably can’t stop the development but these proposals have all but guaranteed your re-election and hopefully the end of Ms Stewart’s political career and aspirations. Clare can join Leigh McCready in the first class departure lounge.
Buh bye, Clare.