Noosa Shire Council March 2015

30 March 2015

The Chief Executive Officer
Noosa Shire Council
PO Box 141
TEWANTIN QLD 4565
Email: [email protected]

Comment re: Application no: MCU 15/0003 - 17 Mary River Road, Cooroy, Queensland 4563 - Lot 1 SP242414 -Noosa Shire Council
Approval sought: Development Permit for Material Change of Use of: Premises – Open Space “Campground” (RV Stopover Area)

To The Chief Executive Officer,

The Campervan & Motorhome Club of Australia (CMCA) writes to support the Noosa Shire Council’s development permit application to provide an open space “campground” for fully self-contained RV’s to park for up to a maximum of 4 nights.

CMCA has a membership base of 66,000 and is regarded as the leading advocate for RV travellers, and is in fact the largest RV club in the southern hemisphere. Its members own approximately 30,000 vehicles including motorhomes, campervans, camper trailers and caravans.

The Australian caravan and camping industry is the fastest growing segment of the domestic tourism market with a value of approximately $5.4 billion in 2014. It is estimated that there are around 80,000 to 120,000 RVs travelling Australia at any one time. This number is expected to increase markedly with the proportion of population aged over 65, increasing from 14.2% in 2012 to 22.5% by 2050. In the 10 years to 2013, 193,000 RV’s were manufactured in Australia. In 2013 the number of registered RV’s in Australia was 528,869, up 5% year on year. Of the registered vehicles 474,783 were towed products and 54,103 were motorised.

A key growth area in caravan registrations over the last two years is vehicles weighing 1.6 to 3.0 tonnes. A large majority of these vehicles are manufactured with shower, toilet and fresh water tanks. Factory options offer grey water tanks, solar panels, generators etc.

Tourism Research Australia (TRA) figures used in the “Queensland Camping Options Toolkit” 2014 showed that 34% of RV travellers only stay in commercial accommodation namely caravan parks. 16% only stay in non-commercial accommodation and 50% use a combination of caravan parks and non-commercial accommodation, i.e. 66% of RV travellers either only stay in non-commercial sites or a combination of commercial and non-commercial accommodation.
The Queensland Camping Options Toolkit identified that of those travellers wanting low cost accommodation alternatives 77% were willing to pay up to $10.00 per night for a non-commercial site which includes access to a dump point, potable, water and a place to park.

The background information supplied supports the application by Noosa Council. It is seen as a positive move to address the ever present and expanding market for self-contained RV travellers. The provision of 40 sites will give a dedicated or official place to stop and provide a more manageable approach to freedom or non-compliant camping in the council precinct.

CMCA through its many initiatives is recognised as a responsible triple bottom line company supporting sustainable Economic, Social and Environmental outcomes. The camping options toolkit states “there is sufficient evidence to suggest there is measurable economic benefit to the town” in this case Cooroy and the greater Noosa area, where a town provides either no or low cost camping options. The closer they are to retail outlets, the greater the economic benefits.

On average RV travellers spend $700 per vehicle per week. Those spending $700 per week are most likely to be travelling for 3 to 6 months and are the biggest spending travellers in the domestic tourism market.

By creating a facility as proposed by Noosa Council CMCA travellers are able to become involved in volunteering within the local communities, being more socially aware and making contributions outside the economic sphere.

CMCA fully supports Noosa Council making the proposed site for “self-contained” vehicles only. While no Australian standard is in place for self-containment, the CMCA Leave No Trace® Program has been cited by the Queensland Government in the camping options toolkit as the best available definition of RV self-containment. The underlying ethic of the Leave No Trace® Program is that qualified travellers will leave nothing behind but tyre tracks and ensure long term sustainability of the environment.

CMCA welcomes the opportunity that Noosa Council is creating and we look forward in anticipation to promote the facility to our members.

If you require any further supporting information or CMCA can assist in any way please do not hesitate to contact our office.
Regards

Richard Mainey
CMCA State Representative Queensland

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www.cmca.net.au