A NOOSA Parks Association town planning expert has responded to the “fairy tale” claims by a Noosa on Weyba development spokesman run in last Tuesday’s Noosa News.
Former Noosa Council senior planner Paul Summers has challenged four key points made by Northbrook development director Steve MacRae whose company is preparing to submit a development application for the land near Lake Weyba.
“Mr MacRae attempts to counter so-called misconceptions regarding his client’s proposed development on Lake Weyba,” Mr Summers said.
“He makes four points each of which are misconceptions that completely ignore the careful planning that has been carried out in this sensitive area of Lake Weyba.
“First he points out that there will be a 60m buffer to Lake Weyba and references the Queensland Coast Plan, but completely ignores the 100m buffer required under Maroochy Plan 2000 and the 250m buffer required under the Noosa Plan,” Mr Summers said.
He said the Noosa Plan had been previously been supported by the courts in Queensland.
Mr Summers also takes Mr MacRae to task for claiming the development is low density in the first 250m from the lake.
He said this “carelessly ignores the fact that medium density development intrudes into this space and also ignores the fact that cheek-by-jowl residential development is proposed over the balance excluding the inadequate 40m buffer”.
“Third he suggests that setting three-storey buildings back from the lake edge will be ‘mostly out of view’, but ignores the fact that there is no three-storey development within cooee of the land.
“He claims that (water and sewerage service provider) Unitywater can service the development, yet all the planning for infrastructure by both the former Maroochy and Noosa councils for this area prior to the existence of Unitywater was set on the basis that there would be no urban development.”
Mr Summers said the Noosa on Weyba proposal was not consistent with the council plans or the South-East Queensland Regional Plan.
“Mr MacRae needs to be reminded that neither he nor Unitywater is the planning authority on the Sunshine Coast,” Mr Summers said.