CEO clarifies Planning Minister's approval of new Planning Scheme

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Published
27th February 2020

Noosa Council’s CEO Brett de Chastel has moved to clear up confusion around the State Planning Minister’s sign-off of the new Noosa Plan.

The CEO said the Minister wrote to Council on February 18 to advise that he’d approved the planning scheme on the basis that Council had met its requirements in accordance with the Planning Act 2016, and that Council could proceed to adopt the scheme subject to some conditions.

“There has been some misinformation and misunderstandings about exactly what that means, so I feel it’s important to clarify this for the community,” Mr de Chastel said.

“It’s commonplace for a Minister to impose a range of conditions on a proposed planning scheme, after conducting the final state interest test.

“With the Minister’s approval in place, Council had the option to adopt the new scheme as advised by the Minister or continue to hold further discussions with the State Planning department.” Mr de Chastel said.

The Ministers approval to proceed to adopt the new plan included conditions many of which Council was intending to carry out anyway. The conditions included in the Ministerial approval included:

  • Adding more guidance for the development of the Shire Business Centre within 12 months of adopting the scheme.
  • Finalise Council’s Coastal Hazards Adaptation Plan funded by the State Government and incorporate information into the scheme within 12 months of adopting the scheme.
  • Monitor the provisions relating to short term accommodation, tourism and housing supply over a 2 year period and determine whether any changes are required after that time and provide a report to the Minister. The Ministerial conditions didn’t require any changes to the draft scheme before adoption.
  • Some technical changes to ensure consistency with various State Codes.
  • Make some minor changes to the Bushfire Hazard overlay map.
  • Amend the Biodiversity, Waterways and Wetlands overlay to better align with state instruments.
  • Amend the scheme’s provisions for social and community housing to change Council’s proposal to require social and community housing and instead, make the provision of social and community housing discretionary.
  • Change our koala mapping to reflect the State’s koala mapping.

“As previously noted,” Mr de Chastel said, “Council particularly needed time to consider these last two conditions more thoroughly. With the caretaker period looming, the Minister’s approval didn’t allow sufficient time for this to happen and have Council adopt the scheme.”

To be clear the Minister for Planning has advised Noosa Council that it can adopt its new plan and a Council can adopt its scheme at any time after it receives Ministerial approval to do so,” Mr de Chastel said.