Community gives feedback on Sunshine Coast 2024 planning scheme

Sunshine Coast residents have let council know what they want to see happen to the region in the next decade, with the environment taking centre stage.

More than 8000 people have shared their thoughts on the future of the region as Sunshine Coast Council develops its new planning scheme ahead of the 2024 deadline.

Council is in the early stages of preparing its 2024 planning scheme before a draft will be put out for public consultation. 

Feedback was received in February and March 2022, with 6162 residents and stakeholders providing online engagement contributions and a further 6095 surveys were completed.

A council spokesman said the feedback was “generous and insightful” with a “diverse” range of views.

“Feedback received highlighted the varying and sometimes conflicting views and complex nature of planning for a growing region,” the spokesman said.

“One matter nearly all respondents agreed upon is the need to further consider impacts of growth and development on the natural environment, particularly impacts on habitat and the need to continue to improve the region’s resilience to the impacts of climate change.

“The consultation also identified a desire for council to help protect the individual character of each of our local communities and robustly guide good development outcomes.”

The planning scheme aims to provide the region a road map on how to prepare for the next decade, with the latest forecast estimating the region’s population will grow from around 350,000 in 2021 to about 520,000 people by 2041.

Respondents also indicated to council that maintaining building heights within set limits and providing parks and open space was important.

Mooloolaba from the air.

The feedback also revealed while a strong portion of residents understood growth and development is required, many do not want the region to become a ‘second Gold Coast’ with high density along the coastal strip.

Divisional councillor Joe Natoli said he could see council was focusing on Maroochydore to Caloundra as a “growth corridor”.

“The way I read (the community feedback summary) they don’t want more green space to be taken up with development, they don’t want to become another Gold Coast or feel the heavy density along the coastal fringes,” he said.

The community feedback revealed there was a lot of people focused on “maintaining the Sunshine Coast vibe”.

“While there was some recognition that council cannot stop people choosing to live in our region, there was an expectation that council plan effectively and in a way that recognises the Sunshine Coast as its own place with distinct characteristics and values,” the council document stated.

Division 4 Councillor Joe Natoli at Mooloolaba. Picture: John McCutcheon

The proposed planning scheme indicated building height limits could be increased in some suburbs, including the Maroochydore CBD, Mooloolaba, Alexandra Headland and parts of Kawana along Nicklin Way.

However, no high rise development is intended outside of identified major centres and beachfront height limits would not increase.

Mr Natoli said council should be focusing on suburbs like Aura and Beerwah West to accommodate large population growth.

“We should be making them build those suburbs that can be designed and built to accommodate that medium density rather than necessarily going in and making massive changes to the coastal corridor,” he said.

“There’s some areas that need to be renewed, like Nicklin Way for mixed use to allow people get onto better transport.

“But whether it’s medium to low rise all the way through, there will be congestion and the impacts on our roads and those impacts on those people.

“The pressure will be that if you do putting that population down that coastal corridor, then obviously it would have to be rezoned to higher density buildings. We need to think long and hard before we lock ourselves into that short to medium density.”