Friday, 17 December, 2021
There’s only one
NOOSA and only one ...
12528123-DL51-21
Donation cuts it for dog charity
Christmas in the hinterland
Thunder bowlers dominate
40-page liftout Property Guide
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INSIDE
PR OP ER TY
Tewantin turns 150 Timber, then gold, cemented the town of Tewantin in the history books as it became the port town linking people from the capital of Brisbane to the riches of its surrounds. Much has changed in the town that marked its 150th anniversary last Saturday with a mix of historic and contemporary events, but it still retains much of the charm and pace of a bygone era. The natural attributes of the area continue to draw in visitors but fortunately there is more soaking up of its beauty and less removal of it. Read more about the sesquicentenary celebrations on pages 6 and 7
Cobb & Co coaches returned to the streets of Tewantin to celebrate the town’s 150th birthday. Picture: ROB MACCOLL
Housing options Noosa Council will investigate whether two of its land parcels could be used for affordable housing in response to its Noosa Housing Needs Assessment, released at Council’s general meeting on Monday. There’s a nationwide housing crisis and Noosa, a desirable destination, is at the pointy end of it, the report revealed. Noosa’s property prices and rents have increased significantly, making them unaffordable for medium to low income workers, the meeting heard. The report found 80 per cent of housing was separate houses, with residential units and communal living in retirement and aged care making up the remainder.
It estimated that with projected population increase by 2040 to 65,000, the need for about 6400 more dwellings would be provided through infill development within existing residential areas. The report found the demand for residential property was very high, availability of permanent rentals had diminished, weekly rents increased and incomes were not keeping up with the rises, and opportunities for social housing were limited. The report recommends Council adopt a housing strategy that targets improved housing choice and affordability. At the meeting, councillors committed $50,000 to scope out and test options for the use of its land parcels at Noosa Heads and
Cooroy for affordable housing, in an effort to tackle the shire’s worsening housing crisis. Council called on the state government, as the primary housing provider, to partner with them to deliver more affordable housing. Councillors unanimously endorsed Cr Stewart’s request for Council to lobby the state to audit all of its Noosa housing stock and land to find new housing opportunities. “There needs to be a holistic review of their Noosa land - across all of the state’s many departments – to search out potential affordable housing sites for our shire,” she said. “We’re investigating solutions using our own land, but we’re limited in what we can provide as housing is not a Council respon-
sibility. We need the state’s support to deliver more housing.” Exploring options for the Noosa Heads and Cooroy sites is a key recommendation of the new Housing Needs Assessment, developed by staff with external expert input. “It’s a comprehensive assessment backed up by hard data and it paints a very confronting picture of the housing situation in Noosa,” Cr Stewart said. “The strategy will also canvas potential changes to planning scheme zonings, and other amendments to encourage affordable housing development.” The housing strategy is set to be developed in early 2022.
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