Statutory Regional Plans are long-term strategic documents that guide land use planning for state and local governments. They also indicate and set direction through contemporary policy frameworks and spatial representation how our regions will grow and respond to change over time.

The draft ShapingSEQ 2023 Update (the latest draft Regional Plan) has opened for consultation. This has projected a permanent population into the future for Noosa of 76,000 residents, per the map below, which is not feasible nor sustainable. That is 13,000 more than our carrying capacity of 63,000 projected by 2041 within the current Noosa Shire Council planning scheme.  There are many who have fought so hard for Noosa over the decades, including for deamalgamation, and we need to fight again, for our communities, our environment and our economy. It is our home and our future. We cannot be complacent in this.

Further information and the draft plan are available at https://shapingseq.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au. A Noosa Shire summary is available at www.sandybolton.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Noosa-Shire-Council-Summary.pdf

Public Information Session

An ‘in person’ information session is being held 29 August between 4pm and 6pm held at ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Church (Noosa District) Parish Hall’ 5 Moorindil St, Tewantin. Register your attendance at https://shapingseq.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/register-your-interest.

Examples of areas within the regional plan that you may wish to comment on in a submission are:

  • Population forecast and the impacts of this environmentally, on infrastructure and resident amenity in an area already greatly impacted in holiday periods.
  • Housing targets/types in relation to heights and resulting impacts on Noosa’s declared iconic values.
  • Future regulatory reform that is ill defined, leaving questions as to what may become ‘as of right’

Submissions can be made online at https://shapingseq.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/make-a-submission or emailed to ShapingSEQSubmissions@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au

For a valid email submission, the following must be included:

  • Name and residential or business address of all persons making the submission.
  • A return address, either postal or email.
  • The aspects of the plan you support or oppose and why.
  • A signature by all persons making the submission. If you are making a submission on behalf of another person or entity then you must have the permission of the other person or entity.

To assist with the online form:

  • After filling in your personal information, scroll down to ‘Submission Locality’, select ‘Yes’.
  • Select ‘Local Government Area’.
  • Select ‘Noosa Council’.
  • For any questions or assistance with the online process, please email ShapingSEQProjects@dsdilgp.qld.gov.au or call 13GOV.
  • When writing your submission, we recommend drafting in a separate document first and then copy/paste into the submission as there is no option to ‘save’ and finish at a later date.

After reviewing the draft plan and when creating your submission, please consider the following:

  • Population forecast and impacts of this environmentally, economically and otherwise.
  • Housing targets/types in relation to heights and its impacts on Noosa declared iconic values.
  • Future regulatory reform that is ill defined, leaving questions as to what may become ‘as of right’?

Submissions close 11.59pm 20 September 2023

This submission process is vitally important in having your say. The Minister for Local Government and Planning is the Hon Steven Miles and anyone wishing to email on any other matters can do so via deputy.premier@ministerial.qld.gov.au and cc’ our office in at noosa@parliament.qld.gov.au.