A local council has endorsed revised planning scheme amendments, reflecting months of public consultation.
Noosa councillors voted on the amendments at a special meeting last Thursday after originally demanding more time to consider the changes.
A three-hour-long special meeting on December 5 was adjourned after the councillors debated topics including changes to business hours at Noosa Junction and the type of dwellings to be allowed in medium-density zones.
The meeting resumed on December 12 with a further three-hour debate that eventually resulted in councillors voting to ratify the staff recommendation four to two.
Councillors Tom Wegener, Brian Stockwell, Nicola Wilson and Frank Wilkie voted for the changes, while councillors Jessica Phillips and Amelia Lorentson voted against.
Karen Finzel was noted as an apology and absent from the meeting.
The ratification came after Noosa Council gathered community feedback during an eight-week consultation earlier this year.
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Mayor Frank Wilkie said the amendments aimed to deliver greater choice of housing, increase housing supply for residents and key workers plus help meet state-imposed dwelling targets.
“These proactive measures are designed to allow us to have autonomy over the future planning of Noosa, rather than waiting for state-imposed more drastic measures to achieve the targets through the SEQ planning process,” Cr Wilkie said.
The mayor said the package included incentives for private landowners to provide affordable housing to help address homelessness and worked to limit short-stay accommodation (STA) in medium and high-density residential areas.
“A key purpose of the amendments was to ensure that all residential zones serve as neighbourhoods for residents, not STA businesses,” Cr Wilkie said.
“The STA Monitoring Report and Housing Strategy both indicated STA restrictions are needed to strengthen the social fabric of our community in the long-term by limiting the loss of dwellings for permanent residents to STA.”
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He said the planning scheme’s residential zones must work as intended to provide housing and meet state-imposed dwelling while maintaining Noosa’s lifestyle and character.
“Rather than adopt high-rise or expand the urban footprint, providing units as intended, not houses, in existing medium-density residential and high-density residential zones was seen as the solution.
“We took on-board community feedback that smaller lots in the medium-density zones should allow houses, due to feasibility of providing units on them.”
Council has also revised the definition of small dwellings up from the proposed 75sqm to the current 100sqm.
This is in response to concerns regarding accessibility requirements, financial viability and being limiting in terms of the number of bedrooms or people who can reside in a dwelling.
“Keeping the current provisions will provide more of a mix – from studios to three-bedroom apartments, suitable for downsizers,” Cr Wilkie said.
“The changes include incentives to encourage the delivery of affordable rental premises on key sites such as the former Noosa Heads Bowls Club site and Noosa Business Centre.”
In April 2024, the state government approved the proposed amendments for the purpose of public notification and community consultation, which ran from May 31.
Council received 475 submissions, including an online petition, during eight weeks of community consultation on the proposed amendments earlier this year.
“Our planning staff have spent the past few months reviewing each submission and developing tweaks across key areas,” Cr Wilkie said.
According to the report tabled at the special meeting, there were 10 key issues identified and discussed as part of the proposed changes.
This included the hours of operation and extension of the amplified music definition for the Noosa Junction Hospitality Precinct.
The proposed changes to operating hours within the precinct divided nearby residents and business owners beginning a series of petitions for and against the amendments.
However, the endorsed package of amendments moved to extend operating hours for new food and drink outlets in Noosa Junction to midnight, seven days a week.
While some businesses are already permitted to operate until midnight, these provisions within the updated plan will only apply to new businesses.
Noise is regulated by the State Office of Liquor and Gaming, however the council said it would work with this office to achieve a balance that supports Noosa Junction businesses while minimising impact on surrounding residents.
Council will be looking at various options to achieve this balance in consultation with businesses and the surrounding community next year.
