A hinterland short-term accommodation (STA) provider – which has not yet even registered under Noosa Council’s new STA Local Law 10 – has applied for a “minor” change to increase the number of people it can accommodate.
The business received approval in April this year, and it has been advertised online as an STA.
Located on Cooroy Noosa Rd in Tinbeerwah, it was given approval last April to accommodate up to eight people in its five bedrooms, but the applicant, Quade Holdings P/L TTE, is now seeking what it has described as a minor change request in August that would allow it to accommodate double that number at any one time.
The original approval had already had its allowance modified to eight from 10 people by council planners.
Staff advised councillors at last Monday’s General Committee the application had been recommended for refusal, as it was considered far more than a “minor” amendment – to which councillors unanimously agreed – but it was left to Cr Amelia Lorentson to voice what surely must have been going through all their minds.
“[So] we are considering an application that is not compliant with our local laws – and that’s okay?” she said.
“The property has been advertised online, contrary to the conditions of the approval. It has also not been issued an approval under the local law, and it’s now subject to Local Law 10 for ‘further investigation’,” Cr Lorentson said.
“My general question [is] what are the consequences of not complying with our local law?”
Staff explained that dealing with planning applications and local law issues could, and had to, run concurrently, however a decision on one could impact the other.
The planning staff’s advice was the owners had been requested to register the address under Local Law 10.
“If there are issues of non-compliance that are not rectified this could mean the address could fail in its registration under the local law [and] failure to register could trigger enforcement action.”
Rural zone STA assessment in the Noosa Plan say it is a consistent code assessable for lots more than four hectares in size, and a house with no more than five bedrooms.
This site, at 2.93 hectares is less than that requirement, resulting in the need for careful consideration of surrounding uses and the need to adequately mitigate amenity impacts.
Up to 16 guests could also result in the dwelling inadvertently being utilised by guests as a ‘Party House’, prohibited under the Noosa Plan.
At Thursday’s Ordinary Meeting a final decision was deferred to allow the applicant the opportunity to review the Council’s assessment against the change.
