JIM FAGAN
Noosa Council has rejected Coles’ development proposal for the bowls club site at Noosa Junction, one councillor, Tony Wellington describing the plan as “highly unimaginative, humdrum and better suited to chaotic Caloundra or Maroochydore.
“There is nothing that adds style or distinction,” he told Noosa Council last Thursday. Earlier Deputy Mayor Bob Abbot told the council a petition signed by 82 residents representing Noosa Junction traders had been received. It supported in principle Coles’ application and asked council to defer its decision so more discussions with the applicant could be explored to provide greater community benefit. The petition was referred to the CEO Brett de Chastel for further action. Coles has applied to build an 1180sq m liquor store on the site, as well as a hotel of nearly the same size, plus shops, office space and some units. The plan involves taking over a council-owned public parking area and some of the nearby Pinnaroo Park. Cr Wellington said if the development was approved, “we would be surrendering council land for very little return. Anyone who thinks the addition of a pub and a big box liquor store and additional shops will invigorate business in the Junction would do well to consider a report compiled by Wakefield Planning on the retail and economic impact of this development. “That report suggests the shopfront vacancy rate is currently above a 10 per cent level of concern and the current level of vacancies would likely increase. There is no planning justification at the present time for any additional significant floor space.” He said he had a problem with the siting of the proposed tavern “which is really a glorified name for a pub. There are really plenty of watering holes in the area and I believe it is a bad idea to locate a pub in a dead end area with no passing traffic. “Most pubs are positioned in high visibility areas in main roads which significantly helps moderate the behaviour of customers, particularly when leaving the pub. Having one largely out of sight is not going to help problems related to alcohol and anti-social behaviour. I include assault and vandalism in that. “In terms of the biosphere reserve covenant we so cherish none of the elements in this application help Noosa towards a sustainable future. There’s no suggestion of specific building materials, the buildings are inappropriately oriented and this will result in greater power consumption. He said: “There’s nothing in the overall design which is in anyway imaginative or forward thinking so if we say no here I believe we are in a much stronger position to negotiate a much better outcome. “This is the first test this council really has to test its mettle in terms of what has occurred over the last six years to bring this council to fruition. This is not, I would argue, a good Noosa-style development. I believe it will just shove Noosa down the path of becoming like everywhere else.” Cr Bob Abbot said there was already a liquor outlet on the site and it had operated extremely well for a very long time. “I have real concerns about the use of Pinnaroo Park for a road to try to maximise the commercial gain of this particular site. I also have real issues about the use of the car park which the Noosa Junction traders created with a levy and which we are going to lose and I have real concerns about the addition of another big box liquor retail outlet in this community. “The only thing that will do, I suppose, is put the bulk of takeaway liquor in this community in the hands of two great companies.” Mayor Noel Playford said he believed “the applicants, once they purchased the site as they did, were entitled to apply for what they did in good faith and I don’t think there should be any blame attached to them for that “However, there is land involved here zoned for community facilities, that is the council-owned car park, and, as Cr Abbot said, paid for by businesses in the Junction. To turn that land into other uses for private gain requires, under our planning scheme and the State Planning Act, significant community benefit. This falls far short of that. “I think the best thing we can do with this is consign it the dustbin by refusing it. It would be naïve to think that piece of land is going to sit there forever. One thing I’ve learned from a few years in local government is the application you are dealing with is not necessarily the last application you’ll get on a parcel of land. There will always be more applications. Our job is to decide things in the community interest and this is not it.”
