New Noosa Plan changes go back out to community

A number of key changes in response to community feedback to the New Noosa Plan are bakc out to community consultation as Noosa Council looks to finalise the proposed scheme.

Council received 938 submissions on the draft planning scheme during community consultation earlier this year.

At last Thursday’s Special Meeting, councillors agreed on a number of significant changes, relating to short-term accommodation, where the tourist accommodation zone applies and also changes in response to individual submissions on zones and overlays.

Some of the proposed changes are also intended to better accommodate start-up and enterprising business models in industrial areas and to encourage creatives and makers to locate their business in these areas.

“We have listened to the feedback, carefully analysed the submissions and made changes in response to these submissions,” Mayor Tony Wellington said.

Cr Wellington said councillors had gained a better understanding of the community’s view on a range of planning scheme issues and were grateful for the input.

“We’re so lucky to live in a community that is so engaged and interested in arcane matters such as planning. Many local governments struggle to get input from their community, whereas our planners were almost run off their feet during the previous consultation process.”

“We extensively consulted with our community prior to the draft scheme being drafted and going out for public consultation. During the consultation process earlier in the year, we also spent a considerable amount of time liaising with industry and resident representative groups. In particular, we have held numerous meetings with representatives about the issues relating to the short stay industry.

“We now encourage residents to consider the new changes and provide their feedback via the Your Say Noosa website,” he said.

“We are not consulting on the whole scheme, but rather on the significant changes being made in response to the feedback received. Thus there is no need for most people to make another submission, unless it relates specifically to the significant changes that are now being proposed,” the Mayor said.

Cr Wellington said all submissions received previously remained active and will continue to inform the final plan.

This new consultation period runs for 40 days, ending November 11, 2019.

Residents can talk to a planner during the week from 9am to 2pm or view information at yoursay.noosa.qld.gov.au

16 September 2019