Public consultation open for proposal to build 42 units in Tewantin
Residents in the Noosa region have hit back at a proposal to build a set of 42 units for affordable housing at the site of a former police station.
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Residents have shared their disappointment over plans to build a set of units for affordable housing on a Noosa site.
Plans to build 42 units at the site of the former police beat at Tewantin, on 87 Poinciana Ave and 10 Sidoni St, have opened to public consultation.
A Facebook post in a Noosa community group has since been inundated with comments from commenters expressing concern over parking and congestion.
The proposal includes 35 two-bedroom and seven one-bedroom units across three buildings, reaching up to four storeys.
Plans lodged by Pivotal Perspective on behalf of Poinciana Blue Pty Ltd were declared for state-facilitated development in September 2024, which allows the state to overrule council’s decisions on developments.
Independent Member for Noosa Sandy Bolton released a statement addressing the proposal and urging residents to lodge their submissions to object against the development.
“In its current form, it (the proposal) has not addressed previous concerns raised nor aligns with the Noosa Planning Scheme, with the application proposing to be three to four stories,” Ms Bolton said.
The statement addressed the legislation passed in November amending the Planning Act, which allows the Planning Minister to revise or revoke state-facilitated development applications.
Ms Bolton had opposed the original bill in April 2024, the statement read.
Application documents detailing the proposal stated the 2385sq m site was within a community facilities zone with an emergency services annotation, as it was occupied by an existing police office and two houses for police officer and detective accommodation.
Documents stated the proposal was not consistent with the current community facilities zoning but council and the state government had indicated the site was no longer needed for emergency services.
“This is the reason for the sale of the site nearly two years ago,” documents read.
“Council planners have verbally indicated that a rezoning may be appropriate for the site and a submission was made in this regard.
Rather than waiting another five years for rezonings, the state-facilitated development process provides for efficient delivery of appropriate development that caters for identified housing needs.”
The designs takes inspiration from an “indicative four-storey mixed-use development” in Doonella St referred to as the “Doonella St Precinct”, which is across from the site of the proposed units.
Documents noted the council’s recently drafted Planning Scheme Policy 11 – Provision of Affordable Rental Premises allowed for additional height as an incentive to build affordable rentals.
These “bonus provisions” apply to the Doonella St Precinct site, which is comparable to the current plans for 87 Poinciana Ave and 10 Sidoni St, documents stated.
Residents shared concerns on social media, with congestion and parking becoming a major theme.
“No forethought on infrastructure, parking, roads. Already extremely congested for ol’ Tewantin town,” Georgia Wilson commented.
“Hope it has its own parking! Congested enough down there already,” Dana Olsen Mckay added.
Many others, with varying degrees of irony, stated Tewantin would need a police station once the affordable housing projects were completed.
Some residents showed support for introducing affordable housing into Noosa.
“We actually need somewhere for our growing population to live,” Millie Marisa Gosney commented.
“I have watched friends and loved ones have to close their businesses over the years because of the lack of progress here when it comes to housing and development and it will continue to be so.”
Several comments also put forward the suggestion to use the former TAFE site in Tewantin for affordable housing.
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