A Council that mostly says 'yes'

Here's a statistic that some Noosa residents might be a little surprised to hear.

Ninety seven percent; that's how many development applications Noosa Council said 'YES' to in its first six months.

Just 10 of the 372 applications made to the Council were refused; 2.6% of the total.

Noosa Council Planning Committee Chairman, Councillor Frank Wilkie says most people are aware that the Council is a staunch defender of Noosa's environment and lifestyle, but he says "this doesn't mean we say no to all development".

Councillor Wilkie said "the vast majority of applications we say 'yes' to tend to fly under the radar because they fit comfortably within the Noosa Plan, and within what the community supports as being acceptable."

Even in the more complex area of applications for a Material Change of Use, 59 of the 63 applications were approved. 

Those refused included the Coles application at Noosa Junction, Noosa on Weyba, Viridian Resort and Attunga Heights.  Cr Wilkie said each of these was "clearly and substantially in conflict with the Noosa Plan".

"These knock-backs" he said "tend to grab the headlines for obvious reasons.  And sometimes the Council is forced to defend the Noosa Plan in the courts.   But beneath the headlines, the vast majority of people who come to council with reasonable applications find it a relatively straightforward process."

Cr Wilkie said "come to us with an application that isn't an attack on the Noosa Plan that binds our community, and you will probably wind up in the 97.4% that makes up our 'yes' basket".

11 August 2014