In 2024, not one of Noosa’s outgoing councillors would support the unrestricted growth of short term accommodation letting across the shire, although there would be shades of opinion as to how that might best be achieved.
What a difference a term makes! As the new council tried to wrap its head around the issues through the back half of 2020, Tom Wegener was the only councillor prepared to put his head on the chopping block and go all in to restrict STA.
As he writes on his website: “From January to August 2021 I argued that the STA applications that were coming before council should be refused on the basis they did not comply with the town plan, though all other councillors and staff argued that they did. In the most general terms, the Noosa Plan 2020 supports STA in residential neighbourhoods, however this is conditioned on housing being predominantly for residents and that the resident amenity must not [be allowed to] deteriorate. I argued that STAs had passed the tipping point where housing is not predominantly for residents and that amenity of neighbourhoods was being shattered. Through 2021, councillors and staff began to agree with my interpretation of the plan.”
Mayoral candidate Cr Frank Wilkie was the first domino to fall, and his stance on STA has only strengthened since, advocating for, amongst his 2024 campaign promises in these pages last week, “vigilance against overscale and out of zone development, [and] reducing short term accommodation impacts on neighbourhoods.” In 2021 Crs Stockwell and Jurisevic followed close behind, giving the STA restrictions lobby the numbers, but this did not stop Mayor Stewart and Cr Lorentson pushing for evidence that the STA situation was contributing to a growing housing crisis before they would consider supporting restrictions. As a result Noosa Council funded two reports investigating linkages between the issues, with both finding that the growth of STAs diminished the available housing stock. Council then set out to create a set of local laws governing STAs in 2022.
Speaking with Noosa Today last week before council moved into pre-election caretaker mode, Cr Wegener recalled: “I forcefully argued that there should be a 24-hour hotline and properly funded strict enforcement. If re-elected I will continue to advocate for restricting STAs in Noosa.”
While Cr Wegener was at pains to point out that STA restriction was now an all-of council issue with widespread support, rather than his personal campaign, his “skin in the game” is still clearly evident: “Throughout my first term I campaigned against the unregulated spread of STAs throughout Noosa because I saw that STAs were taking the place of residential rental properties. Between 1998 and 2001 I lived in three rental properties in Sunshine Beach. Through my income in a basic job making surfboards, I was able to rent accommodation and put down roots in Noosa. Today, my journey would be nearly impossible. Noosa’s future resident population has been compromised severely.
“The other big problem is the amenity of residents who live next door to STAs in residential zones. The Noosa Plan clearly states that amenity comes first in any sort of development, but it’s been circumvented by this proliferation. The substance of my argument against this is that while the plan refers to ‘consistent use’ in predominantly residential neighbourhoods, residential is no longer predominant and therefore the use is in breach of the plan.”
Noosa Today understands from sources close to council that the groundwork for a clearer and fairer way forward on STA in the 2024-28 council term may have already been identified in the confidential meetings on amendments to the planning scheme, but there have also been stumbling blocks along the way – like the proposal that social housing be included in multi-storey development applications, which has become a state issue – thereby creating the probably false impression that council has been sitting on its hands on STA. But we won’t know until the amendments come before the new council later in the year.
Some critics of the council approach to the STA issue are not confident. As longtime hard-liner Julia Craddock posted on the Residents For Noosa Facebook page on 19 January: “These issues are going to worsen. We thought this Council was bad. Wait ‘til you see the next. I see the overt business focus of candidates. STA are the quintessential small business supported by micro businesses. No business-oriented Council will act on STA.”
While Noosa Today doesn’t have access to Ms Craddock’s crystal ball on the composition of the next council, there is no doubt that the priorities of the new councillors are going to be crucial in determining the future of residential amenity in Noosa.
Says Cr Wegener: “When the planning scheme amendments are adopted, I am hoping the community will push for more action to limit the spread of STAs, while at the same time council might be able to alleviate some of the so-called ‘blunt instrument’ problems for purpose-built motels and resorts. So, in summary, the way forward is about two things – slowing the spread of STAs and making regulation fairer for all.
“I think we have to look at the cost to the social fabric of Noosa Shire and the cost of losing its future residents because of the proliferation of STA in residential neighbourhoods or other places outside the visitor accommodation zones. Council works on cost/benefit analysis across the board, so we have the best waste system we can afford, for example. STA has to be recognised as a tremendous cost, so if you’re benefiting from it, you have to pay it forward.
“I think the community will support that as opposed to a BandAid approach. I’ve supported the Local Laws and I’ve advocated for more funding for them because we have not been able to get enough staff to fulfill the compliance work. People ask why this is all taking so long, and one of the reasons is that we have difficulty getting staff because the wages aren’t very high and people can’t afford to live here.
“The irony is that STA has pushed long term renters out so that people who might become STA compliance officers can’t afford to live in Noosa. How’s that for a vicious cycle!”
