With careful planning, we can protect and enhance the things we value about our region’s environment and appropriately respond to ongoing and emerging challenges posed by a changing climate.
Our ‘green frame’
The extensive natural and rural areas of the Sunshine Coast define its character and are highly valued by the community. They are an integral part of our economy, lifestyle, natural environment and culture.The proposed planning scheme recognises and seeks to protect the integrity of the Sunshine Coast’s green frame by preserving:
- the Moreton Bay - Sunshine Coast Regional Inter-Urban Break, separating the southern part of the Sunshine Coast from the greater Brisbane urban area
- urban breaks separating individual coastal and hinterland communities
- the Lower Mooloolah River Greenspace and floodplain
- the Maroochy River floodplain and Blue Heart
- the coastline, including beaches, dunes and headlands.
Recognising the green frame as a whole will help to ensure the important value of these areas is protected and enhanced for the benefit of generations to come.
A robust green frame requires responsible ecosystem management throughout our region. The proposed planning scheme includes enhanced provisions for the protection for our waterways, wetlands and natural vegetation, with greater recognition of their critical role in supporting our day-to-day life, our resilience to climate and heat, and our access to clean air, water and food sources.
A 'green frame' of rural and natural areas that surround our urban and rural residential communities
Our native animals
Containing housing sprawl by minimising urban expansion into our green frame and protecting existing habitat areas is essential to help protect our native wildlife. Identifying and maintaining strong growth management boundaries in the planning scheme helps to achieve this outcome.
The proposed planning scheme also includes new development guidelines to help protect our sea turtles. Developed in consultation with relevant experts, the proposed planning scheme includes measures to minimise impacts of artificial lighting near sensitive sea turtle nesting areas. Similarly, our local koalas will be further protected through improved alignment between the proposed planning scheme and existing state-level habitat protections.
Increasing climate resilience
A key focus in the proposed planning scheme is increasing climate resilience and not expanding development into areas highly exposed to natural hazards.
The proposed planning scheme responds to ongoing and emerging challenges from a changing climate and seeks to protect the integrity of the Sunshine Coast’s green frame. New and updated overlay mapping and codes are included in the proposed planning scheme to better respond to the challenges of flooding, stormwater, coastal, bushfire and landslide hazards.
The proposed planning scheme is just one of many tools and measures Council is using to adapt to our changing climate.