Buddina Urban Village and the Kawana Waters Local Plan
Kawana Waters Local Plan
The Sunshine Coast planning scheme identifies the Kawana Waters area as having its own Local Plan which contains area plan development intentions for suburbs and precinct plans within the suburbs such as the Buddina Urban Village. The planning scheme provides the various compliance codes which, together with Height of Buildings and Structures Overlay Map, support the Local Plan - information to guide development.
Buddina Urban Village
Devised in 2003 by CCC and incorporated into the 2004 PS, the Buddina Urban Village (KAW LPP-4) is now part of the Kawana Waters Local Plan of the SC 2014 PS, consisting of 3 sub-precincts as shown on the map to the right:
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blue: Urban Village Residential (KAW LPSP-4a);
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pink: Connecting Kawana Shopping centre to the beach (KAW LPSP-4b);
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purple: Tourist accommodation (KAW LPSP-4c).
Buddina Urban Village and its designated pedestrian way
This precinct covers the area east of Kawana Shoppingworld, extending to the Kawana SLSC at Buddina beach an area intended to provide a focal point for the community, incorporating cafes and shops along the planned, designated pedestrian way. The Buddina Urban Village also provides for tourist and residential accommodation buildings in sub-precinct KAW LPSP-4b & -4c plus residential only accommodation buildings (sub-precinct KAW LPSP-4a). Access to the beach via the designated pedestrian way, is shown on the map below:
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blue with dotted orange arrow: designated pedestrian way
Unfortunately, for reasons not disclosed by Council and contrary to the Local Plan, the first development approved in the Buddina Urban Village disregarded the designated pedestrian way and also 'isolated' one resident property. That high-rise development (The Hedge) was built over what should have been the pedestrian way link to the beach, thus eliminating the connectivity concept, a key element of the Buddina Urban Village. The next adjacent development will likely reallocate land for the pedestrian way, as Sandy Toes Lane.
Buddina Urban Village and designated development nodes
In the 2004 planning scheme change that established the Buddina Urban Village, provision was made for single residential blocks to be amalgamated into development nodes. These development nodes were specifically identified and mapped on the local plan with the stated provision that no residents were to be 'isolated' (i.e. the nodes were not to be broken). This was to facilitate high-density development on large amalgamated blocks only, as shown on the map above:
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grey outline: boundaries - development nodes
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red outline: boundaries - Buddina Urban Village
Buddina Urban Village - height disparity in the north-east, how did this happen?
The Urban Village Residential sub-precinct (KAW LPSP-4a) has four components with building heights mapped as:
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south-west @ 11m (modified to 12m);
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south-east @ 11m (modified to 12m);
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north-west @ 11m (modified to 12m);
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north-east @ 21m
The disparity in the north-east component had not been explained by Council and appears to be the result of an inadvertent error made in transcription from 11 to 21m. There wass no “step-down” provided from 21m to 11m (since modified to 12m) in the north-east development nodes which are adjacent to low-density residential zoning to the north. Why?
At the Ordinary Meeting of SCRC on 28 April 2022, an amendment proposed by Cr Natoli at that meeting corrected additional anomalies (the subject of a petition lodged in March 2019); this was supported 5/4. There are several more steps in the process to finalise the amendment, including a State interests review and formal community consultation.
Modifying the local plan - height and zoning in the erosion prone area
Since the Buddina Urban Village was established in 2004, much has changed including:
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the State government declaration of an erosion prone area along the beachfront land on Pacific Boulevard Buddina;
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Council's TurtleCare program was established and recognises Buddina beach as an important nesting habitat for endangered loggerhead turtles.
Friends of Buddina believe it is appropriate for the Sunshine Coast Regional Council to recognise and action the issues raised by residents and progress the amendment of the building height disparity in the north-east development nodes of the Village and reduce the risks associated with coastal hazards. In March 2019 a petition with over 200 resident's signatures was lodged with Council requesting these amendments be made to the Kawana Waters Local Plan and overlay mapping:
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Consistency in maximum building height of 12m within the residential precinct (KAW LPSP-4a);
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Re-zoning of the density, for the residential precinct (KAW LPSP-4a) to be no greater than medium density;
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State Interests in endangered loggerhead turtles (MSES);
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State Interests in Coastal hazards (climate change, cyclones, erosion, storm-tide inundation and risk) ;
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Other relevant matters
Friends of Buddina believe the matter should be progressed to mitigate all coastal hazard risk and the environmental risk to the biodiversity.
Buddina Urban Village, the planning scheme and the erosion prone area
The 2004 planning scheme change that created the Buddina Urban Village disregarded the historical records of Council relating to cyclonic activity breaching the dunes along the north-eastern side of the precinct, the Beach Protection Authority's recommendation for resumption of the land and the resulting State government intervention in establishing a wider vegetation buffer from Warana south.
The the Buddina Urban Village precinct with its higher density zoning was subsequently "grandfathered" into the 2014 Sunshine Coast planning scheme.
In 2015, the Queensland government declared the coastal erosion area along the Buddina beachfront which included the eastern residential land. This erosion prone area is 175m wide from the highest tide line.
Click the button below to learn more about the
Coastal hazard history of Buddina - the facts
supported by the science with relevant references included
So where to from here?
Get involved - what you can do? HAVE YOUR SAY
For the new Planning Scheme, Council have been considering submissions made by town planners and developers to remove the development nodes so that they can develop those blocks of land which owners are willing to sell. Anyone not willing to sell could then be isolated and surrounded by high-rise, IF the existing development nodes are not retained. Town planners and developers have also proposed allowing short term stays in the residential only zone. "Visitor accommodation is usually reserved for Tourist zoning where minimum car parking requirements are are less than those in the residential only zone.
Any relaxation of of the original intention of the "village concept" should be scrutinised when Council disclose any intention to reduce the protection of existing residents.
When appropriate, email Council and simply say why the nodes should be retained – current owners rely on the protection in the local plan and do not want that protection removed; they do not want to be isolated.
When appropriate, email Council and simply say why "visitor accommodation" should not be extended to the residential zone especially the area adjacent to the primary school where street parking is at a premium.
Email should be addressed to mail@sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
Subject: Retention of development nodes in the Kawana Waters local plan
1st line of your email: attention Strategic Planning
Please enure your Name & Address are included to ensure your email is considered a valid submission
Click this link below to learn more about the
Buddina Beachfront residential - the future
Documents and access links
Sunshine Coast planning scheme: 7.2.14 Kawana Waters local plan code
Sunshine Coast planning scheme: LPM35 Map Kawana Waters local plan precincts (incl Buddina Urban Village)
Sunshine Coast planning scheme: Figure 7.2.14A Map Kawana Waters local plan elements (incl development nodes)
Sunshine Coast planning scheme: OVM35H Map Height of Buildings Kawana Waters local plan elements