No decision by Noosa Council for Cooroy affordable housing project

A Noosa hinterland businessman is growing increasingly frustrated over the council’s requests regarding his housing development application.

Inside one of the cabins built by Eco Cottages. Picture: Patrick Woods.

A man passionate about providing critical housing in a Noosa hinterland town says he has spent nearly $100,000 and more than two years dealing with the Noosa Council regarding his development request.

Modular home business Eco Cottages owner Greg Phipps said he had become frustrated at the requests from council staff members regarding his development application for land on Carpenters Rd in Cooroy.

Mr Phipps has proposed a 33-home social housing park for a 2.4ha block, with sustainable and safe housing for families, elderly women and essential workers.

He said he started talking to council staff more than two years ago about his development dream and has spent nearly $100,000 trying to make it happen.

His development application has been lodged with the council for more than a year.

Eco Cottages managing director Greg Phipps wants to build 33 homes at Cooroy to help provide a solution to the region's social and affordable housing crisis. Picture: Patrick Woods.

Mr Phipps said although he had spent a lot of money satisfying the council’s requests for more information, others had also helped him prepare reports at little or no cost.

“(The council) made it clear we’re not getting that (money) back if it’s not approved,” he said.

Greg Phipps has a development application in with the Noosa Council to build a social housing park on the outskirts of Cooroy. Picture: Warren Lynam

“I’ve never been so much worried about that but it’s so important for us because it’s much needed.”

He said the latest requests for more information were regarding flooding on the road.

“Hopefully this will be the last request,” Mr Phipps said.

“In the meantime everyone goes back to sleeping in their cars or bus stops.”

The Cooroy township. Picture: Erle Levey

Council development assessment manager Patrick Murphy said staff continued to work with the applicant’s planning consultants and was seeking “further clarification” on a number of matters.

“Council staff first met with the applicant back in 2021, prior to plans being lodged, and at the time raised concerns about such things as planning scheme conflicts, location and site constraints,” he said.

“Once plans were formally lodged in March last year, staff requested further information to address the planning scheme conflicts, tenure, flooding, impacts from industrial uses, stormwater, access, proximity to services, bushfire and biodiversity.

“Information the applicant submitted in October, in response, was assessed but in January this year, council staff advised the applicant there were still some matters that needed to be addressed.”

Mr Murphy said further information provided in June had altered aspects of the application previously assessed, and also did not address all of the original concerns so staff were seeking further clarification.

Queensland Council of Social Services chief executive officer Aimee McVeigh said Queensland was the “epicentre” of the Australian housing crisis.

She said the average wait time for social housing on the Sunshine Coast was two years and eight months.