Margie Maccoll
Noosa Council officers have recommended what may be Noosa’s first meat processing plant to be approved in a rural residential zone but public opposition and questions raised at Tuesday’s Council committee meeting have pushed the matter on for further discussion.
Council officers told the meeting plant applicants and landowners Adam and Belinda Neilson were seeking a retrospective approval to process the meat at their home-based business from five deer a week that were to be hunted within and outside the shire.
A 52sqm shed located on their property in Patterson Drive, Tinbeerwah, has been retrofitted and has been processing the deer carcases with the meat sold at farmers markets off site.
The applicant has advised that “…no odour is produced, and the minimal noise generated from the processing (cutting) of the carcass is contained inside the meat facility (existing shed). Minimal waste is derived from the use (98 per cent of the animal is harvested), and the waste is taken by vehicle to Council’s Waste Recovery Centre. The applicant has also advised that the facility is not expected to expand and that a maximum of five animals are harvested due to the limited cooling capacity of the facility”.
Mayor Clare Stewart said she had received letters and emails from neighbours concerned about the processing plant being built without approval. They raised concerns about their children seeing dead carcasses, seeing blood being washed off the driveway. They can hear the sawing at night and see into the facility, she said.
“How does it not affect their amenity?” she asked.
An officers said he questioned residents’ concerns, saying the applicant bled the deer in the field before wrapping them up and transporting them in his Hilux van to the plant.
He said it was a self-contained facility that was not highly visible and officers visiting the site had determined noise was just audible outside but not audible as you moved further down the owner’s driveway.
Officers said a meat processing plant was considered a home-based industry under the planning scheme such as jam making may be.
Concerns were also raised that one of council’s assessing officers who had an interest in hunting may have a conflict of interest in assessing the matter.
It was revealed at the meeting that the officer did not have a relationship with the applicant and, while there may be a perceived conflict of interest, the matter was investigated and no conflict found.
The application was referred to the general committee meeting next Monday for further discussion.
