CARA – Caring for Cooroy and District
NOTE: Website under reconstruction
Cooroy: Heart of the Hinterland
Noosa Shire is diverse, and certainly more than its famed coastal attractions. Just 30 minutes’ drive west of lively Hastings Street, the hinterland’s main town, Cooroy, is undergoing a metamorphosis. With its origins in timber harvesting and dairying, its rural nature is still evident in the very fabric of this rapidly evolving town, which these days is bursting at the seams. However, it retains small town feel and is has a friendly vibe.
Not far from the coast, but less traffic and a quieter lifestyle, Cooroy saw a jump in its population 10 years ago; new housing subdivisions, light industrial zones out of town, a new supermarket, a new school, renovated shops and offices, and building renovations that signalled change. The new settlers, who appreciated this little town and its big heart, saw Cooroy as the perfect place to live, brought new skills and vitality to the town. They bought up the old houses in town and rural blocks with enough room for hobby farming.
The railway line offered access to Brisbane, while highway upgrades saw distant destinations become closer in travel time. The Old Mill Site was transformed into a woodworking centre, The Memorial Hall received a large council grant for renovation, while the hospital, established in 1910, was repurposed as a major rehabilitation centre. Out of town, the brickworks became a drinks factory, while a stunning, award-winning library opened its doors in 2010. In recent years, Cooroy has often been regarded as an overflow destination for visitors to the coast, a sort of West Noosa, if you like. The siting of a major tourist attraction, the $7.2m Hinterland Adventure Playground, is an example of a facility designed to turbo-charge the hinterland’s visitor numbers.
CARA is on the case
The Cooroy Area Residents Association Inc (CARA) was formed 10 years ago to advocate for residents in the town and its surrounds. CARA runs Cooroy Community Noticeboard, a Facebook page with 12,600 subscribers. Our members, including a committee of six, monitor new developments, lobby councillors, and generally looks to seek all the protections the New Noosa Plan can provide the town with. Our aims are:
• To provide for the betterment of Cooroy and its surrounds, with particular focus on the area’s residential community.
• To facilitate two-way communication with individuals and organisations, including local and other levels of government.
• To provide a forum for resident discussion on planning and other matters which affect Cooroy and surrounds.
Over the decade we have hosted a meeting of professionals, business owners, community representatives, and others interested in how Cooroy may develop in the years to come. We’ve held town meetings on the congested intersections for new councillor candidates; on Development Applications; the New Noosa Plan; and Short-Term Accommodation. And we’ve sat on council reference groups for sustainable tourism, new flight paths, local cycleways, and the Hinterland Playground.
You’ll find more about us on this website.
Become a member of CARA
CARA provides a forum for community information and discussion on matters affecting the residents of Cooroy and district. A Queensland Health Report found that, “People who actively participate in their community and have strong and supportive family, cultural and community relationships have better health than people who are socially isolated.”
To join CARA, there’s no fee, so email the Secretary at: caracooroy@yahoo.com.au and we’ll send you a membership form.
NEWS
Gemlife Appeal Refused
In the Planning and Environment Court, Her Honour Judge Kefford has upheld Noosa Council planning staff’s recommendation to reject the Gemlife application for a seniors living community adjacent to the Cooroy Golf Club, which included dwellings and a clubhouse on Club land, in March 2021. All councillors supported this decision.
“I order the appeal be dismissed. The development application seeking a development permit for making a material change of use and a development permit for reconfiguration of lots is refused.”
Judge Kefford
30 May 2024
RESUMPTION OF THE GEMLIFE APPEAL February 2024
The first five days of this appeal took place last year, from 26 July to (and including) 1 August. On the final day, GemLife’s lawyer requested an adjournment of the hearing, in order to address Her Honour Judge Kefford’s concerns regarding the lack of clarity and several contradictions in the Appellant’s evidence.
The adjournment was allowed and GemLife offered to pay Noosa Council’s costs thus far. At the time, the expectation was that the appeal hearing would resume in September.
However, after another Minor Change Application and new evidence from expert witnesses and the revision of many plans, the date for the resumption of the hearing was finally agreed for February 2024.
The first and second days were taken up with cross examination of the Visual Amenity, Water Quality and Town Planning expert witnesses for both Noosa Council and GemLife. Judge Kefford then allocated all of Thursday, for the writing of the Closing Submissions, which were required to be emailed to her Associate by 4pm that afternoon.
On Friday, the final day of the hearing, these submissions were tendered in hardcopy and discussion took place on outstanding matters. Evidently the provision of aged care cannot be guaranteed; contractural arrangements such as Bank Guarantees have no validity in town planning, the reconfiguration of the boundary of several lots seems to have difficulties, and it is still not clear that this is truly a Retirement residential estate, as all plans and many reports indicate it would be a GemLife Luxury Resort.
Also, Condition 14, of GemLife’s Proposed Draft Conditions, The obligations in the Myall Street Agreement dated 27 July 2023 must be complied with., was abandoned.
The hearing was concluded that afternoon, however Her Honour asked for further submissions on the reconfiguration of various lots, to be submitted at a future date and indicated that it will be more than a year before she will be able to produce a judgement as, she has a long list of judgements to finish and will be going on extended leave sometime later this year.