Noosa Mayor Clare Stewart
At last Thursday’s Ordinary meeting Councillors unanimously supported my mayoral motion to appoint Infrastructure Director Larry Sengstock as acting chief executive officer until June 2024 to ensure it is business as usual following the resignation of CEO Scott Waters who has accepted the role of CEO of Moreton Bay Regional Council.
Larry Sengstock’s appointment will ensure stability and continuity of services now and during the run up and beyond the local government elections in March 2024.
Mr Sengstock steps in to work with our executive team to deliver the council transformation program Noosa 2.0 in liaison with councillors as well as to deliver our Destination Management Plan, the 2023-2024 Budget, the Corporate Plan, and our crucial Housing Strategy.
Prior to moving to Noosa Mr Sengstock held senior roles at Latrobe City Council, delivered Victoria’s $57 million Gippsland Regional Aquatic Centre and a $19 million transformation of Traralgon Sports Stadium.
Mr Sengstock is no stranger to the role of CEO here in Noosa as he was acting CEO for four months in 2021 prior to Scott Waters’ arrival.
Short Stay Local Law actions
Noosa Council has reviewed the operations and outcomes of the Short Stay Letting and Home Hosted Accommodation Local Law after 12 months of it being introduced to regulate short stay letting.
In response to community concerns, we were the first council in Queensland to regulate short stay letting and we’re making solid progress.
Council just approved annual renewal fees which will contribute to cost recovery to end dependency on council rates.
Two temporary compliance officers will be engaged to help work through the backlog of applications, caused by the significant volume received when the short stay letting law was introduced. They will also contribute to enforcement and identification of unapproved short stay properties and speed up the approvals process which the letting industry has been calling for.
About 2500 property owners have applied to short stay let under the local law in the first 12 months which is a good result.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Council (Victoria), which services a population of over 170,000, processed 2500 short stay applications in just under three years, a benchmark Noosa Council has greatly exceeded.
As part of the Local Law, we’ve been able to implement a code of conduct for short stay guests, compile a database of short-stay properties, record the nominated contact people for each, deal with complaints, and begin to identify owners not playing by the rules.
New council branding
After 30 years and to complement the new Corporate Plan currently on Your Say Noosa for community feedback until 26 March, Council has undergone a brand refresh.
The evolution of the brand has been a local affair with Peregian Beach based business Saturate providing its design expertise. The new look respects the integrity of the iconic Boronia wildflower, which was part of the 1990 design, while providing a contemporary identity that clearly portrays a modern, agile and customer centric organisation.
Council will refresh the brand on a very gradual basis, only as it replaces supplies, equipment, and signage. The rebranding was fully covered within the corporate plan budget.
Eastern Beaches consultation extended
Council has extended the consultation period for the draft Eastern Beaches Foreshore Reserve Management Plan until 31 March. I welcome everyone to have a say. Our eastern beaches stretch over 11.5 km and cover approximately 122 hectares along the open ocean beaches from Sunshine Beach to Peregian Beach and are an incredibly significant part of our coastal landscape which needs both protection and enhancement.
To read the draft management plan and for information about how to get involved and provide feedback, visit yoursay.noosa.qld.gov.au
Shire heritage – have your say
Finally, visit Your Say Noosa .yoursay.noosa.qld.gov to nominate the special places, buildings and features you feel are important to the character, identity, and story of our shire.
The aim of the Noosa Heritage Review is to capture the places, features and memories across the shire, from the coast to the hinterland, that are important in telling the story of the Noosa region.
Community input will help council recognise, celebrate, and conserve the special places and features we want to cherish and keep for our future generations. It can be anything from a special tree, a street, a unique building to photos or a local story.
The feedback received during the consultation which runs until the end of March will help council to ensure Noosa’s heritage and character remain an integral part of our local identity and landscape.
Until next month, stay safe, Clare.
