A new policy for commercial use activities on community land will be considered by Noosa Council on Thursday night.
Co-ordinator of property and land management, Clint Irwin, told the Council’s general committee on Monday night that currently there were 14 activities undertaken by 11 permit holders on Noosa Main Beach or close by. The unique characteristics of Noosa Shire and Main Beach provided opportunities to create profitable, niche, lifestyle businesses. In comparison to commercial premises, overheads were generally lower. Profitability, however, depended on the weather and the activity undertaken. Total fees payable to Council from the permit holders were about $25,000 a year but the administration costs to Council totalled $40,000 a year, resulting in a subsidy of $15,000 a year. He proposed that fees increase for those businesses that have more capacity to contribute and that the minimum fee be set at $1,000. He also recommended the maximum permit term be three years and that permit holders only be granted one permit each to “reduce the likelihood of a monopolistic permit environment.” Commenting on the report, Mayor Noel Playford said one thing he didn’t want to see was people “putting in to these sort of things and getting it and then just employing someone else so that they are not involved in the business themselves. “What Clint is saying here is that if you want to run a business, then you get one permit. You don’t get three or four. That gives everyone an opportunity.”
