By JOLENE OGLE
Residents still not happy as new broiler plan hatched…
A proposed broiler farm is back before the council after the applicant was asked to reply to a number of concerns raised by councillors last year.
The council deferred the matter of the Ridgewood broiler farm in September last year to allow the applicant to address a number of matters including measures to mitigate dust nuisance for residents living along Top Forestry Road, as well as minimise road maintenance requirements such as sealing the road.
The applicant was also asked to investigate whether and alternate haul route was possible, whether chicken pick-up times could be limited to 6am to 7pm and to identify how unacceptable odour impacts on future residents could be addressed.
The applicant was also asked to provide an infrastructure agreement that included all proposed road works or maintenance measures to be undertaken on Top Forestry Road.
Noosa Council confirmed the applicant lodged a response to the issues on 4 June.
Outspoken community group No Broiler Farm Cooroy (NBFC) slammed the revised plan application as a “huge fail”.
NBFC co-convenor Julia Walkden said in a letter to members that the latest version of the development application addressed just one of Noosa Council’s many concerns by agreeing to seal Top Forestry Road.
“While dust from this road may not be an issue, the eight shed broiler complex would still be a huge source of dust, noise and odour,” she said.
“The applicant’s refusal to change the haul route means heavy vehicles would still be using inadequate roads, including narrow, winding Cooroy-Belli Creek Road and the town streets of Maple, Crystal and Myall.
“Important traffic safety and amenity issues remain and the rest of the community will be just as affected.”
Ms Walkden said there is a list of problems with the revised proposal including the dust and odour modelling for the proposal still relying on Nambour and Tewantin weather records, chicken pick-up times are still planned for early morning, and heavy vehicles will still travel through Cooroy causing delays and road safety problems.
Noosa Council said residents are welcome to comment on the documents provided by the applicant.
All comments will need to be submitted in writing to the council by 17 July.
The matter will be reported to a future council meeting for a decision.
Noosa Today attempted to contact the applicant for comment but no response was received by the time of going to press.
