Margie Maccoll
A petition with almost 500 signatures and 24 submissions (eight invalid) did not stop Noosa councillors from approving the operation of a meat processing plant at 82 Patterson Drive, Tinbeerwah at Council’s Ordinary Meeting last Thursday.
As it had been at its committee and general meetings the debate on the wild deer butchery was held in front of a crowded chamber of concerned residents and focused on the impact of the “medium industry” on neighbourhood amenity and the appropriateness of it in the rural-residential zone.
Neighbours raised concerns about the unwanted sight of deer carcasses driving past, truck lights disturbing them in the night, the noise and smell from band sawing through the animals and compressors running 24/7, and the possibility of future expansion of the facility.
“The neighbours objections were based on essential residential amenities like the sanctuary of our homes, we live in a biosphere, this is the quality of life guaranteed by the Noosa plan. And trucks and cars coming day and night, already causing congestion in our narrow streets with no footpaths and mothers with children and prams,” one resident said.
“Slaughtered venison, quite likely diseased, arriving in open trucks. For neighbours it’s not all about noise and smell.”
Business applicants and landowners Adam and Belinda Neilson had sought a retrospective approval to process meat at their home-based plant from five wild deer a week that were hunted within and outside the shire.
A 51sqm shed located on their property has been retrofitted at a cost of $300,000 and has been processing the deer carcasses that were eviscerated in the field where hunted, before being transported in the night to the facility, with the meat sold at farmers markets off site.
A further report requested of officers at Council’s Monday meeting found the home-based business was to be operated solely by the resident, the deer were hunted one night a week and covered before transportation to the facility, the meat would be processed between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday and would be transported to market Saturdays and Mondays.
With several conditions imposed officers determined the meat processing, which would be contained within the insulated shed, would not impact on residents’ amenity, the application was compliant with the planning scheme for the zone and would not be able to expand without being in breach of its approval.
Extra conditions require the operator to use a covered truck to transport the carcasses, dim vehicle lights at night (when able), turn off the refrigerated trailer on-site and landscape and maintain a green screen between the driveway and neighbours.
Councillors also voted to impose a condition to lapse the permit in 12 months until a Council assessment, that took into account resident complaints of development approval breaches and other relevant matters, provided written consent to extend the approval.
Only Cr Amelia Lorentson voted against the approval, saying she didn’t consider it complied with the planning scheme that required only “low impact businesses” on properties less than 4ha, and considering the small size of neighbouring properties in the street.
Cr Brian Stockwell said he knew people had concerns about the business but it was councillors’ job was to consider whether the application “adhered to the planning outcomes” and “strategic intent of the planning scheme” – “and this does”.
“Protection of neighbours is the most critical thing for a planning scheme,” Cr Frank Wilkie said. “There are concerns neighbours have voiced. They are real and understandable fears. Neighbours are very distressed this is going ahead.”
Cr Wilkie said a site visit had allayed some of his concerns, particularly noise, raised by residents and he supported the conditions imposed to mitigate impacts to the residents’ amenity and ensure neighbours would have input into its approval continuing in a year.
