A coastal landscape dominated by nature - a misty Noosa sunrise taken from the Panorama Drive lookout
Evidence of success of Noosa Plan limits on building height
THE STORY BEHIND STOREYS IN NOOSA
Many know the name Arthur Harrold as of the founders of the Noosa Parks
Association in 1962, in what were the first formative steps of modern era of Noosa. While best remembered for his convivial style and penchant for botany it was the
local GP’s wife Marjorie who led the first battle to keep Noosa low rise.
Association in 1962, in what were the first formative steps of modern era of Noosa. While best remembered for his convivial style and penchant for botany it was the
local GP’s wife Marjorie who led the first battle to keep Noosa low rise.
It was 1969 when she mounted the opposition to a proposed eight storey building on Hastings St. Taking on both the developer and Council in court she lost the case but won the war. The development did not proceed.
One month after the trial the Council proposed a 3 storey limit on the beach side of Hastings St. In the late 1970s staff proposed a 12 storey limit more broadly across coastal areas. Community activists were pushing for a 3 storey limit and the Council of teh time compromised with six.
The transformative 1982-85 Council realised that height was not the only design criteria needed to be considered to achieve human scale development. They were the first to prose the setback provisions for beach front development to retain views
to the skyline to the west and south in a Draft Development Control Plan for Hastings Street. These provisions were later enshrined in the Noosa Plan.
The transformative 1982-85 Council realised that height was not the only design criteria needed to be considered to achieve human scale development. They were the first to prose the setback provisions for beach front development to retain views
to the skyline to the west and south in a Draft Development Control Plan for Hastings Street. These provisions were later enshrined in the Noosa Plan.
Key reformers were voted out at the next election and development interests came to the fore in the 1985-88 Council. Real estate agents and land developers were prominent in the Councillor mix. Their undoing, however, was the approval of the first six storey building to the west of Weyba Creek. In construction in 1988 the concrete edifice became a key election issue. Reducing height limits to retain the village character was a key commitment of the new wave of pro-environment Councillors, including myself.
The scheme was soon to be amended to impose a maximum four storey limit. The
policy was based on maintaining the built environment below the tree line. If you
go to the lookouts at either Mt Tinbeerwah or Panorama Drive in Doonan ( see image above) and look seaward you’ll get a full appreciation of the success of this long
standing policy.
policy was based on maintaining the built environment below the tree line. If you
go to the lookouts at either Mt Tinbeerwah or Panorama Drive in Doonan ( see image above) and look seaward you’ll get a full appreciation of the success of this long
standing policy.
The look and feel of Noosa Shire is underpinned by the human-scale of its built environment. Our towns and villages are largely nested within nature that still dominates the landscape. Controlling the height and bulk of buildings is therefore quintessential to conserving the qualities of the place we call home.
Recently I moved a motion to incentivise social and community housing to allow
up to four storeys in Noosa Junction and the Noosa Business Centre (‘The Civic’)
and three storeys in Tewantin Business centre ( i.e. one additional storey).
up to four storeys in Noosa Junction and the Noosa Business Centre (‘The Civic’)
and three storeys in Tewantin Business centre ( i.e. one additional storey).
SO WHY CHANGE
We are in the midst of the shire’s worst ever housing crisis that is currently having significant social and economic impacts. Large numbers of key workers are moving out due to both the unavailability and the unaffordability of rental accommodation.
The demand for smaller dwellings is increasing with a significant reduction in the average household size. The dramatic change since the 1980s has resulted in a mismatch between the dominant 3-4 bedroom homes on the market and the large number of single and two person households looking for accommodation.
Further, the open market, in my opinion, is not rising to the climate challenge fast enough. Embedding high levels of sustainability into 6- and 7-star, solar powered social housing developments has proven very popular with young couples and individuals wanting a place close to work around the country. They are also attracting a single women over 50 , a common demographic experiencing housing stress. Modern social and community housing focuses on high quality design with good street presencer and frequently rooftop gardens. They are setting the standards for private developers to match.
Setting design parameters and keeping the benchmark for incentives high will be critical to ensuring the proposals do not result in wall to wall 4 storey boxes. But I am confident that what we will achieve is a small number of high-quality sustainable developments that attract State and Federal housing funds to the Shire. Building over carparks to drive partnerships between social enterprises and Council is just one of the options to offer accommodation at below market rates.
Considering my long-held support for a policy of limiting building heights I thought it was important that these changes be foreshadowed early in the process. It is important to note that concept is not the thin edge of the wedge in a process of ‘Maroochyfication’ of Noosa. It is about intervening in a ‘hyperinflated’ housing market to provide options for key workers as well as individuals and couples struggling to maintain a roof over their heads.
Some of the key policy design issues from my perspective are::
- ensure that incentive provisions are only available to developments planning for
long-term affordability e.g. sold or leased to a Housing Cooperative, built to rent
with rental assistance packages.
- ensure that incentive provisions are only available to developments planning for
long-term affordability e.g. sold or leased to a Housing Cooperative, built to rent
with rental assistance packages.
- buildings stepped back from street frontage after the second storey.
- greening, shading and activation at a street level.
The amended Planning Scheme provisions are soon to be sent to the state government for review before seeking public comment. Residents are encouraged to get involved and ensure that the provisions maintain and enhance the long-held urban design qualities of our towns and villages.
Note how the fourth storey is well below the tree line
Rooftop garden at Ballarat Community Housing
The Commons - Nightingale Sustainable Social Housing Melbourne
https://www.nightingalehousing.org/
Like other innovative Councils in southern states, Noosa Council is currently
investigating the feasibility of making better use of high value public land currently
occupied by ground level car parking. Creating affordable accommodation above carparks is a mechanism where Council may be able partner with community housing providers to generate income streams from long term leases and potentially selling roof top solar to tenants. Reducing our reliance on the private vehicle is also a critical component of achieving our Zero Net emissions target.
investigating the feasibility of making better use of high value public land currently
occupied by ground level car parking. Creating affordable accommodation above carparks is a mechanism where Council may be able partner with community housing providers to generate income streams from long term leases and potentially selling roof top solar to tenants. Reducing our reliance on the private vehicle is also a critical component of achieving our Zero Net emissions target.
CARLESS NOT CARELESS - THE NEW ERA OF PLANNING
While rarely acknowledged urban design has predominantly been driven by just one thing over the last 50 years – the private motor vehicle. When the price of land wasn’t great, we were somewhat careless with the way we allocated land to different uses. This has resulted in significant inefficiency in the allocation of scarce land resources within centres.
The waste of valuable land and urban heat island effects of excessively wide roads and sprawling carparks, many that are only used for a few hours per day are a little thought about externality of the private motor vehicle.
With the rise of active transport, micro-mobility, car share and peer to peer schemes there is a growing demand to separate accommodation of people from accommodation for cars in locations where walking, riding, car share and public transport offer a viable alternative.
When you think of it, how much time does your car spend on the road compared to in the garage? Over 95% of the time most private motor vehicles lay dormant. For example, research has shown that 1 car share space can provide the equivalent utilisation as around 60 private carparks.
Designing multiple dwelling units to take advantage of modern mobility options, such as car share, can reduce the cost a of a mortgage for someone not wanting to own a car. It has been estimated that avoiding the cost of a basement car park and a personal car and investing savings into housing could save $121K + potentially taking 11 years off a 30-year home loan. While not for every household, this options is becoming very popular in highly connected centres where employment most services can be accessed within a 10 minute walk of home.
While we are not a big city we do have a range of business centres that offer great opportunity for mixed use redevelopment. Tewantin and the Junction have excellent public transport options (at least during the day) and can offer fantastic recreational opportunities within a short walk or ride.