Sunshine Coast and Noosa Granny Flats: Two Planning Schemes, One Approval Path

Why the council area matters before anything else

South of the Maroochy River, planning for areas including Maroochydore, Caloundra, Buderim, Mooloolaba, Nambour, Sippy Downs, Beerwah and Palmview sits with Sunshine Coast Council, under the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014. North around Noosa Heads, Noosaville, Coolum, Peregian and Tewantin, planning sits with Noosa Shire Council, under the Noosa Plan 2020. Both schemes recognise a secondary dwelling as a legitimate use on a residential lot, but the detail, including floor area limits, siting rules and what qualifies as accepted development, is set separately by each council. A design that clears the bar under one scheme is not automatically compliant under the other, so knowing your council area before you finalise a floor plan matters more here than it does in most parts of Queensland.

What counts as a secondary dwelling in each scheme

In broad terms, a secondary dwelling under either scheme is a self contained second home on the same lot as the principal dwelling, generally smaller than the main house, and subject to a gross floor area limit. The figure most commonly cited for secondary dwellings across Queensland planning schemes sits around 80 sqm, but the exact number, along with associated setback, height and site cover requirements, varies between the Sunshine Coast Planning Scheme 2014 and the Noosa Plan 2020, and can change over time (check current limits with us). Both schemes also set requirements around how many dwellings a lot can support and how the secondary dwelling relates to the main house in terms of siting and appearance.

Since changes to Queensland legislation in 2022, a secondary dwelling built under either scheme can generally be rented to someone outside your household, rather than being restricted to family members. This has made granny flats a common way to add rental income on larger blocks across the region, particularly where land is more generous than in inner Brisbane suburbs.

Where dual occupancy becomes the better option

Acreage and rural residential blocks are common across both council areas, particularly in the hinterland pockets around Maleny and Montville and the larger residential lots further out from the coastal strip. On a lot of sufficient size, dual occupancy, where two dwellings of comparable size sit on the one title, can be a more suitable pathway than a secondary dwelling, which is generally intended to be the smaller of two dwellings. Dual occupancy is assessed under different provisions again, with its own siting, car parking and site cover requirements, and the threshold for what is accepted development versus what needs a council Development Approval differs from the secondary dwelling pathway. If you are working with a larger block and considering two more comparable dwellings rather than a main house and a smaller secondary dwelling, it is worth raising dual occupancy as an option before your designer locks in a layout.

How overlays change the picture

Both the coastal strip and the hinterland bring overlay considerations that can affect a granny flat or dual occupancy design. Low lying blocks near the beach or the Noosa waterways can sit under flood or coastal erosion overlays, which affect siting and floor levels for any new structure, including a secondary dwelling. Hinterland and acreage blocks around Maleny and Montville commonly carry bushfire hazard overlays, which can require specific construction detailing and affect where the second dwelling can sit relative to vegetation. In either case, an overlay does not necessarily mean a project cannot proceed as accepted development, but it does mean the assessment needs to look at the site specifically, not just the standard scheme requirements.

How the approval process works with Vast

Once we know which council area and planning scheme apply, and have reviewed any relevant overlays, we assess your drawings as your private certifier, licensed by the QBCC and regulated under the Building Act 1975, against the National Construction Code (NCC) and the Queensland Development Code (QDC). Where the design fits the accepted development criteria for a secondary dwelling or dual occupancy under the relevant scheme, we issue the Building Approval directly. Where it does not, we flag the need for a council Development Approval early, before you have committed to a final design. From there, stage inspections, typically foundations, slab, frame and final, proceed as they would for any residential build, with our certifiers travelling from Brisbane for each visit.

Key takeaways

For more on the approval process itself, see our granny flat approval Sunshine Coast and Noosa page, and our building certifier Sunshine Coast hub page for our full range of services. Call our Brisbane office on (07) 3112 7689 or get a free quote to talk through your site.