Before the first item ¶
00:00:00 Councillor Lorentson: Good morning everyone and welcome to the Planning and Environment Committee Agenda 10th of June 2025, time is 9.35. I would like to declare the meeting now open. First I'd like to begin by welcoming everyone around the table, Mayor Wilkie, Councillor Stockwell, Tom Goodnight, and Councillor Finzel is online. I'll start with an acknowledgement to country. Noosa Council proudly acknowledges and respects Australia's First Nations people and their deep and abiding connection to this country. We recognise the Kabi Kabi people as the traditional owners of the lands and waters of the Noosa area. We pay respect to the Kabi Kabi elders who have come before us. And we also pay respect to their elders past, present and emerging and to their enduring commitment in pursuing a strong and healthy future for our First Nations people.
1 DECLARATION OF OPENING ¶
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2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY ¶
00:01:00 Attendance and apologies, there are no apologies, I note everyone in attendance and again Councillor Finzel online. Can I please request before commencing the meeting that everyone have their phones on silent or turned off. I'll now move to Item 4, Confirmation of Minutes. Planning Environment Committee dated 6th of May 2025. Can I have a move on it and a second please. Thank you Mayor Wilkie, thank you Councillor Stockwell. There are no presentations, deputations. So we'll go straight to Item 7, Reports for Consideration of the Committee. Item 7.1, Planning and Environment Court Appeal. Number D44 of 2025. Application for a Material Change of Use for Food and Drink Outlet and Short Term Accommodation at 203 to 207 Gibby Terrace, Noosaville.
4.1 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Dated 6 May 2025 ¶
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7.1 PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COURT APPEAL NO. D44 of 2025 – APPLICATION FOR A MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE FOR FOOD AND DRINK OUTLET AND SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION AT 203 - 207 GYMPIE TERRACE, NOOSAVILLE ¶
00:02:00 Now welcome to the table Patrick and Richard. Hand it over to you if you can give us an overview of what's in front of us. Speaker 4: Thank you. As you may recall on the 20th of March this year at the Ordinary Meeting Council approved the development. For Food and Drink Outlet and Short Term Accommodation. 16 units at 203 and 207 Gibby Terrace. At that time there was a number of matters that were discussed at the meeting. Notably the manner in which waste was to be collected. Since that time of the approval we've now received an appeal. Representations were not made. It is an appeal against conditions. I think it's 18 or 19 conditions of the approval have been appealed.
00:03:00 They're quite broad ranging. Some relating to the requirement to amend plans associated with the rooftop terrace and the bulk associated with structures on the rooftop. Conditions regarding where mechanical equipment is to be located. Conditions around regarding amenity. The service. The times that service vehicles can access the site. Easements. Particularly associated with the waste collection. Car parking requirements in Gibby Terrace and Albert Street. And car parking numbers and also the requirement for waste to be collected on site. So these as I said have been appealed. It's just a conditions appeal and it's in order for Council to defend the appeal. It's a recommendation of the report. Councillor Lorentson: In terms of the appeal process, Patrick, can you explain the process and is there a mandatory mediation step before the appeal proceeds to court?
00:04:00 And what are the anticipated costs of mediation and going to court? Speaker 4: Mediation is highly recommended. There will be a mediation. My understanding is proposed by the appellant in this instance. It would require the engagement of experts associated with the relevant conditions. So obviously there's a cost associated with that. The mediation will have parties from both sides including the experts trying to resolve the matters where possible. If that's unable to be achieved, there might be some without prejudice discussions post the mediation. I'm still seeking to resolve the matter. But it's possible that it could end in trial. Depending upon how this plays out will obviously impact the cost. So possibly ranging from tens of thousands of dollars up to something that could cost Council in the order of $100,000 or more.
00:05:00 Councillor Lorentson: Questions around the table? Deputy Mayor Stockwell: I'm happy to move the recommendation. Councillor Lorentson: All in favour? That's supported unanimously. So we'll now move to the next item on the agenda. Which is item 8.2, zero emissions in Noosa. Their annual report. And Richard? Speaker 3: We've got the delegated report. Councillor Lorentson: Oh, excuse me. 8.1. I've jumped a little bit too far. So item 8.1, planning applications decided by delegated authority.
8.1 PLANNING APPLICATIONS DECIDED BY DELEGATED AUTHORITY – APRIL 2025 ¶
00:06:00 Again, Patrick, Richard, if you could give us a summation of what's in front of us in the report. Speaker 4: Thank you. So the report details those applications that were decided by delegated authority. Delegated authority for the month of April 2025. Quite a busy month. 43 applications that were decided or approved across a range of application types. As you're aware, material change of use, development permits for building works, changes, operation works and other applications. One application was decided by Council during the month but related to the delegated authority report 43 by delegation. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Are there any questions around the table? Councillor Wegener: There's number 2, the Esplanade Sunshine Beach. And there was building works and recreation and open space zone. I think that was the second page.
00:07:00 And it's DBW 25 slash 0054. So you know it's on the first page, two-thirds of the way down. Speaker 4: To the Esplanade, that would be the shelters that were approved in Ed Webb Park. Okay, so they're public shelters. Yeah, they're public shelters. There's some works that are occurring in that park, so there's some new shelters that have recently been approved. Councillor Wegener: Okay, no, for the top of my head, but I know I'm from a private property, so that's good. Thank you. Mayor Wilkie: 43 for the month, that's back to your normal volume? Speaker 3: Yeah, that's up there, one of the busier months the team have had in April. So yeah, so the volume is still steady, yeah, coming through, so strong, yeah, so no real major shift.
00:08:00 A lot of them, again, are, you know, moderate. We've got a lot of size proposals, I guess, in terms of the, you know, number of changes, we're getting, you know, quite a few changes coming through, and that's a sign often with the market, where people are looking to amend particular elements of their proposals, some of that's due to cost pressures and needing to get different elements considered, but yeah, it's a strong month in terms of decisions made. Mayor Wilkie: Are there any state-owned developments? Public housing works? Speaker 3: Not in the period of April that I'm aware of, no. Speaker 4: State development may not come through planning. Okay. As an example, there are provisions within the planning regulations that allow for... Mayor Wilkie: Well, we may not see any social housing here. That's correct. With the scales involved with it.
00:09:00 Speaker 3: That's correct. Okay. Particularly, yeah, they may help to go through a ministerial infrastructure designation process, which the state has recently made. Yeah. Speaker 4: And there's also provisions in the regs that don't allow planning schemes to make accessible development if it's for certain criteria that the state may undertake. Okay. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: And just a clarifying question, what does it mean to be exempt from co-assessment in both landslide overlay areas and flood overlay areas? Speaker 4: So there is a capacity to apply. Okay. So there is a capacity to apply for an exemption certificate, and council can consider that. There's no appeal rights to such an application, and council would grant an approval if the assessment was so minor and inconsequential, or if there's an error in the planning scheme. The previous planning scheme had an allowance that if you were in a landslide area, and the geotechnical report was provided, and the works were undertaken in accordance to those report, it took it out of being accessible development, there was just a word that was removed from the planning scheme, so we've allowed for that same interpretation through this scheme, and similarly, with the flood assessment, it's calling in, I think it's extensions or habitable buildings, and so on.
00:10:00 Whereas the previous scheme hadn't, so it's similar rules being applied, and allowing that, yeah. Councillor Lorentson: Thank you. Further questions around the table? I'm happy to move the delegated planning report. Can I have a second, please? I'll second it. Thank you, Tom Wagner. All in favour? That's unanimous. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And next, we'll move to item 8.2, report for notice. And by the committee, Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. annual report.
00:11:00 And I welcome to the table, Sion and Cheyenne. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Yeah. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Good morning, councillors. Speaker 1: Good morning. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: And I'll ask if you can just start with an overview of the report in front of us. Speaker 1: The report from Zero Emissions Noosa outlines... ...their activities and achievements over the past year in accordance with a partnership agreement that Noosa Council has with Zero Emissions Noosa. The partnership agreement runs for three years, established in December 2023, and ending end of next financial year, in 2026. The report outlines what they've done against their strategic plans, as well as against our strategic documents and targets that we've set, around emissions reduction for the community,
8.2 Zero Emissions Noosa Inc. (ZEN Inc.) Annual Report ¶
00:12:00 outlining the climate change response plan, as well as the environment strategy. Noosa Council continues to work very collaboratively with Zero Emissions Noosa to ensure that there's a strong alignment between our strategic objectives and their actions in the community. They're a key player in our community to help drive down community emissions, both in stationary emissions, from buildings and business, for example, as well as from transport activities. Every year, Zen Inc. produces a detailed and comprehensive strategic plan, and then reports on that, which is what we've received, and then staff from our team sits with them and ensures that there's that strong alignment going forward. Their report describes projects that they've undertaken, as well as financial reporting, funding sources, and revenue generated against operating and project costs.
00:13:00 They continue to seek a diversified funding portfolio, including grants from Noosa Council, through our Climate Change Response Grants program, as well as other sources like state and federal grant programs, in addition to running events like the EV and Olympic Games, which has become more self-sustaining over the years, and this year, relying very little on Noosa Council grant contributions. Mostly funding for that big event comes from corporate sponsors. Zen Inc. continues to run their operations, mostly from a volunteer base, which is very commendable. They put in a lot, a lot of hours. They've done a lot of work for the community through programs like rewiring Noosa, which has gained national recognition through rewiring Australia,
00:14:00 and they've produced a fantastic report, which outlines the transition for Noosa community towards zero emissions through electrification. They also continue to do a huge amount of advocacy work at the local and state level, in particular around community batteries and transition for our community to embrace the renewable energy future. They play a really critical role that is hard and challenging for us as staff from council, which is that community outreach piece. We have a limited time and capacity to go out and talk to community and hold forums around how individuals and businesses can embrace and transition to renewable energy and electrification. And that's a key role that we see Zero Emissions Noosa continuing to play.
00:15:00 Speaker 2: So, you want to say anything? No, excellent summary. Thanks, John. Fantastic. Thanks, Rob. Councillor Lorentson: Questions around the table, please. Councillor Wegener: Well, there's so much to talk about, because they're such an incredible organization. They've done so very, very much, and just your last comment, the community outreach piece, because that's where the community groups, especially Zen, can fill this gap, can fulfill this desperate need out there, where council's a bit nebulous on it. They come in and do this, you know, with a voluntary base for the most part. So, I just want, yeah, not really a question, just a comment, anybody else, I haven't spoken yet. Speaker 2: Many councils around Australia aren't lucky enough to have a community group that's this dedicated, with this many volunteers, and volunteers with expertise in this field, that are helping to drive the emissions reduction piece. For community, and have very strong connections with state and federal governments, as well. And advocating 54 separate stakeholders about community batteries is one of the reasons why we got the first community battery in Queensland and Noosaville.
00:16:00 So, it's important, and it's different by nature, and maintaining our point of difference. Councillor Lorentson: I have a question in relation to the community battery. The report notes on page three that... Energy Queensland have agreed to cover the tariff for five years. My question is, what happens after the five years, with the responsibility for paying the tariff? Does that shift back to us, the community? How does all that work? Speaker 2: I think we'll have to take that question on notice, Amelia. But from my initial understanding is that it would come back to us, but we've done some modelling and calculations. Based on what Energy Queensland projects forward, and it would be a minimal cost. But let me come back to you on that, if that's okay.
00:17:00 Thank you. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Any questions, Council? Mayor Wilkie: No, only comments. Thank you, Chair. It's a very comprehensive 80-page report that outlines their activities, mainly done by the volunteer base. They're highly professional. They have very skilled people doing this work. Helping the community transition towards clean tech. The beneficiaries, not only just the environment, but also economically, the cost savings. It frees up a lot of capital in people who own businesses and so-and-so type of units. To put that money, spend that money locally, rather than shooting it off to MJECs to be spent elsewhere. So... They're doing such great work on so many fronts. It's very impressive.
00:18:00 It's big picture stuff. Councillor Lorentson: And I'll probably just make a quick note also, because I think we've had a lot to do with Zero Emission Noosa Group. So, yeah, I just would also like to acknowledge and thank the incredible hard work and dedication of this small, committed group. It's Zero Emission Noosa. I think we need to remember their volunteers. And they tirelessly serve our community without any compensation. And, as you said before, Cheyenne, driven solely by their passion to creating a sustainable future. That's their motivation. And their efforts are making a significant impact. They're getting notice and they're excellent ambassadors for Noosa. We have a mentor. We're different by nature. And we need to walk the talk. And I think they are walking evidence of that.
00:19:00 So thank you, Zero Emission Noosa, for all the work that you do to help our community thrive and walk the talk. Speaker 2: One sec. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: Happy to move it. Happy to. I'll second. I'll second. Yes. Mayor Wilkie, seconder. I'll speak to it. Yeah. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: It would be unwise to allow this one just to go through to the keeper. Because what this group does is do the community outreach for the most significant issue for this council in the long term. They do it in a way that puts a very positive spin on the opportunity to convert to a lower carbon economy. And for individuals and households to change their way of life to improve both their health and reduce their emissions. But it's really important to understand how the lack of action across community on this
00:20:00 will, in the longer term, have the most significant impact on both our biodiversity, our lifestyle, Councillor Lorentson: and our economy. Deputy Mayor Stockwell: Now, when we look at the current situation, there's no, probably no surprise that the biggest current global risk is armed warthog there. Second is extreme weather events. But if you look in the 10-year period, the top three are extreme weathered events, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse, and critical change to Earth's systems. Now, they're ranked by the World Economic Forum. That's what we have to concentrate on. The community needs to, well, I encourage the community to get engaged with them, to get engaged in that transition, and to look at all those opportunities, from trialling an electric bike. That's where I ended up seven, eight years ago, buying an electric bike.
00:21:00 I had one trial and went up a hill that I could generally struggle up and found it easy. So simple things like that. Looking about how to turn your house and all your appliances, all electric, for runoff solar, something I've done over the last year, and now I'm reaping the economic benefits of going 100% electric, of a range of things that we can do that makes life more enjoyable, and we're contributing to the long-term stability of this community and globally. So to me, the commitment that I see in this group, and the expertise, and their willingness to charge ahead and find resources, not just from council, but also from the community, from federals and state, is an inspiration to me. But it's also something that, it's probably one of the few areas currently where Noosa is leading the field and showing a national example. And so that's why I want to highlight this, because if we just see ourselves as an environmental, green-type area, we won't be leading anymore.
00:22:00 I'll leave it at that. Councillor Wegener: Can I ask you a quick question about the ROI, the return on investment? Right on the very front page of the annual report, it's 21.3 to 1 for investment in dollars. And they explain how to do that in great detail, you know, through the report. But just quickly, could you remind me what that actually means, the return on investment? Speaker 1: It means that every dollar that we invest in, it's going to be a return on investment. So if we invest in zero emissions Noosa, the return on that investment is 21-fold. And I think that they calculate that through the great number of volunteer hours that they put in to drive programs and projects for our community to achieve zero emissions, as well as seeking funding and raising sponsorship dollars in other spaces.
00:23:00 I think that's where that calculation comes from and what that means. It means that our investment into zero emissions Noosa has a very high rate of return in terms of output. Councillor Wegener: So I'll speak to it now. What Brian mentioned is the leadership, it says here in the report, Energy Queensland, the former Department of Energy and Climate and various community energy groups across Australia have used this report to inform their work. In the planning and funding applications for community batteries. So the report that zero emissions did has been used across Australia, which is that's, I believe, you know, of what we are in Noosa. We identify as leaders and here we have these leaders doing it. So I'm so happy that we're funding them to the point that we are. And the next thing is the plan, the working group action plan.
00:24:00 Again, it's so well laid out with what each person is going to do, what the volunteers are doing. It's so fantastically, surgically laid out. It's an impressive bit of work, their annual reports. I recommend anybody in a community group that wants to see, you know, an absolute A-plus annual report, check it out. Speaker 1: Thank you, Councillor. I think those are really valuable points. The community battery project has been challenging in many regards, but it also puts us on the map. The first community battery in Queensland that's not owned by a bigger entity. It's owned by the community. That's huge. And the report that you mentioned has also gone to a national scale to be used by others. And I also mentioned in my opening remarks about rewiring Noosa and the report that they produced there. That also puts Noosa in a bigger form and says we are considering and we are taking
00:25:00 action in this space. Councillor Wegener: It's been a great pleasure as a councillor to watch ZEN grow and especially, you know, we're looking forward to next weekend. Speaker 1: Two weeks from now. Councillor Wegener: Two weeks from now. Yeah. Councillor Lorentson: Excellent. Mayor Wilkie: I don't think I can improve upon what's already been said. I fully endorse this organisation and we're very lucky to have them. Thanks, Brian. Thank you. Councillor Lorentson: I'll put that to the vote. All in favour please. Thank you, Minami. Thank you. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. Thank you. So that brings us. Well, confidential sessions. Out of nine, there is none. And I declare the meeting closed at 10 o'clock. Undisputable. Thank you. Thank you to everyone in attendance and those online, councillor Finzel. Thank you.
10 MEETING CLOSURE ¶
Council's recording ends before this item. Where a meeting resolved to close its doors, that is what the end of the recording means — see what council discussed in private.