2017-05-24 Special Meeting Agenda

SPECIAL MEETING AGENDA                                                                        24 MAY 2017


Option 3: Council purchases the Johns property and continues to operate the camping
          ground

 Strengths                                              Weaknesses

    Council acquires a strategic parcel of               This is the highest cost option and no business
      environmental land on the Noosa River with high        case has been developed to justify the
      environmental values;                                  investment in an upgraded camping ground;
    Council ensures the camping ground is run and        Council inherits the social issues on the site;
      developed according to its DA conditions.            If Council moves current residents on and then
                                                             continues to operate the camping ground it could
                                                             be seen to be acting without regard for the needs
                                                             of some of the most vulnerable people in our
                                                             community;
                                                           There is no funding allocated in the 2017/18
                                                             budget for upgrades to the campground and
                                                             given the focus on the Noosa North Shore
                                                             Campground, it is unlikely funding will be
                                                             allocated for a number of years;
                                                           All funding for this option will need to allocated
                                                             from Council’s General Reserve as the
                                                             Environment Levy Policy does not allow funding
                                                             to be used for non-environmental purposes i.e.
                                                             the purchase of a camping ground.

 Opportunities                                          Threats

    Ben Johns retirement presents a momentary            At a practical level the cost and time required to
      opportunity    for   Council    to    maximise         bring the camping ground up to a suitable/safe
      environmental outcomes for the Shire;                  standard means that it would not be able to
    By acquiring the land Council can manage the           continue to operate immediately after
      nature and scale of any redevelopment;                 settlement.
    Potential long term income stream for Council
      from the camping ground (but no business case
      has been undertaken).


Option 3 would see Council acquire a strategic parcel of environmental land on the Noosa River
with high environmental values, however it exposes Council to ongoing difficulties in managing the
social issues on site after settlement as it is unlikely that long term residents will move on.
Furthermore, the cost of bringing Johns Landing camping grounds to a suitable standard are
significant and have not been allowed for in the in the 2017/18 capital works budget preparation.

The estimated cost of this option is $2.5 million plus the cost of upgrading the camping ground to
bring it up to a suitable standard.

There is no estimate of the costs to upgrade the camping ground but they would be substantial
and would need a robust business case and financial modelling before being approved. In any
event, Council is currently focused on the Noosa North Shore Campground site redevelopment
which is scheduled over the coming years.




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