There are few more incendiary questions to ask in Noosa than this one: do we need to develop upwards – even a little bit – and if we do, is there a long term cost to the Noosa we have fought so hard for?

It’s an important question now being asked by our Council in the context of a big increase in SEQ population and an affordable housing crisis that we should all be aware of.

Proposed changes to the Noosa Plan pave the way for a limited rise in apartment buildings from three storeys to four in the Noosa Business Centre (Civic) and Noosa Junction.  The trade-off for developers would be that 20 percent of the eligible projects would consist of  ‘affordable’ housing.

In most of coastal South East Queensland the high-rise horse has well and truly bolted. But here in Noosa it’s a hot issue, and for good reason.  The very heart of our lifestyle AND economic success is that we are not a city, and we have chosen (and battled) to avoid the big city baggage of suburban sprawl, endless traffic lights and signage and – above all else – high rise buildings.  The concept of our built environment being no taller than the trees is a central feature of the human scale that makes Noosa what it is.

But – as the argument goes in 2024 – there’s now the double whammy of nosebleed property prices that have frozen essential workers, young people and many older residents out of our market and an implied threat from the State Government that if Noosa doesn’t provide more housing options, Big Brother in Brisbane will step in.

In a recent edition of Noosa Matters, our shire’s leading Conservation group – Noosa Parks Association – put its case against going up.  Now, we have a counter argument from experienced Councillor and qualified town planner Brian Stockwell.  You can hardly call Cr Stockwell ‘pro-development’; he wears the political scars of someone who’s long fought for what we call ‘Noosa values’.  But in this case, in these circumstances, he argues it could be time to consider four storeys around Noosa Civic and the Junction for very limited apartment construction that contains a minimum percentage of ‘affordable’  or ‘social’ housing, so long as we nail down what that actually means.

The Deputy Mayor’s arguments can be taken as something like the ‘Council line’. It’s supported by senior Council planners, we assume by a few Councillors at least…and (with a nod and a wink) by the higher level State planners that our Council has to work with behind the scenes.

Here, in a nutshell, are Brian Stockwell’s (and some senior Council planners’) arguments.

• There are limits to what Councils can do about the affordable housing crisis (this is mostly State and Federal territory), but they should do what they can.
• There is a genuine accommodation crisis in Noosa (and one of the most unaffordable housing markets in Australia) with dire circumstances for lower paid essential workers who can’t afford to live here, and for a large cohort of single people – particularly single women over 55.
• As our population ages, we must create housing opportunities for key workers who support Aged Care and other vital services.
• There is already a long-standing precedent for four storeys for tourist accommodation.
• Only a handful of sites are likely to take advantage of the Council incentive provisions.
• There is a clear Council imperative to encourage smaller and more affordable apartment construction in areas well connected to public transport.
• There’s a mounting risk of the State Government stepping in and imposing its views if Noosa is not seen to be doing its bit.

Some 450 submissions were received by Council after it began its consultation process around the proposed changes to the Noosa Plan, including 100 in the extra 10 days they gave to the consultation process recently.

There are some well-informed voices strongly opposing the idea, including that of our leading Conservation group Noosa Parks Association.

NPA counter-argues along these lines:

• They understand that Council wants to provide incentives to include affordable rental housing in developments, but loosening long-standing building height restrictions are not the best way to achieve this.
• There are other ways to incentivise affordable housing without increasing building heights, such as through zonings, plot ratios and application fee adjustments.
• Allowing four storeys for apartment building sets a worrying precedent across Noosa Shire. 
• Noosa’s unique points of difference – key to our lifestyle and economy – are at risk of death by small cuts.
• We should acknowledge a handful of historically higher building allowances in Hastings Street, Munna Point and Serenity Close, but draw the line at any further assault on our three storey limit.
• Employing the arguments used by those in favour, only a relatively small handful of affordable apartments will result from this proposal (if any) and therefore the benefit is simply not worth the sacrifice of a long-held Noosa principle.
• NPA supports high density housing in Noosa Junction as it’s a major transport and business hub, but four storey structures would have a detrimental impact on the village feel of the area.

This debate is over much more than just fine-tuning the Noosa Plan.  It involves fundamental principles. And it involves releasing a genie that can’t be shoved back into the bottle.  

It’s the permanent nature of this change that should give all of Noosa pause for thought, and the signal it may send that Noosa’s priorities are not what they were.

As this important conversation takes place, the very least we demand is that our Council works harder to find alternatives that don’t involve eroding the foundations of our Town Plan.  

And then it must explain to us why there is not a smarter way of Noosa playing its small part in the national housing crisis without threatening some of the fabric of what makes this place special.

Read Cr. Brian Stockwell’s full statement here.

More on the Noosa Parks Association submission here.