Applicants Response to submissions - 132007.2446.03 .msg

Subject: Response to submissions 
From: Warick
Date: 2018-08-27T11:38:39+00:00
To: Antoinette Becker, Patrick Murphy

Noosa Council Town Planning - Patrick Murphy

RE: Development Permit for a Material Change of Use (Other changes) for
Visitor Accommodation Type 4 Conventional

       102 & 106 Pacific Avenue Sunshine Beach

       Lots 163 RP897370 and Lot 164 RP94566

       Ref: 132007.2446.03

       My Ref: 02195




Please see attached our personal response to the submissions received
in response to our Development Application.




As the start up owners of Noosa Flashpackers who are trying their best
to operate an above average Youth Hostel and deal with people of all
ages travelling the world, we understand and deal on a daily basis, with
different issues that arise and may have the potential to annoy not only
our neighbours but also other guests. Managing issues and making
improvements to our procedures is paramount for our business to succeed.
So as you could imagine it is very disappointing to have asked our
neighbours many times over the past 8 1/2 years if they had any issues
with the Hostel, both in person and by letter, asking them to let us
know immediately, share any concern..... and hear nothing. Over the last
8 months I have spoken to 2 neighbours and delivered 3 letters to all
adjoining properties starting in December 2017 outlining our proposal to
extend Noosa Flashpackers into 106 Pacific Avenue units, outlining our
reasons why and the benefits to them as neighbours such as giving us
more control of situations with potential distracting night time noise,
but still had little, if any response. Whilst sitting chatting in the
lounge room of Jackie Keogh and Geoff Potter (29 Nebula Street), I
explained how we thought it was essential to construct a fence to act as
an 'acoustic barrier' between our properties (as there was no fence) and
both agreed this was a good idea. This was regardless of our DA being
approved but as something that should be done. No other issues or
concerns were raised with me. The same conversation was held with Luke
McKenzie (27 Nebula Street) in his garage, and once again the 2.1m high
fence was agreed as a good idea - one he said he needed to also do on
his boundary with 29 Nebula Street. Once again, Luke raised no other
concerns with me.




Then to read the submissions of the neighbours I had spoken with just
weeks before and had been told 'that apart from a little noise every now
and then as expected from a Hostel' they had no other issues - my wife
and I were blown away by what they submitted! Yes, we have understood
that on different occasions some night time chatter has been annoying to
the rear adjoining properties with bedrooms at the rear of their homes,
but as we have had no contact from any neighbours for a number of years
and we had put into practice a night time routine that we thought was
working in controlling any noise from people talking outside at night -
this was frustrating and distressing that such anger was now being
vented. There are many ways to solve the sensible issues the submissions
raise (and dismiss the ridiculous ones that are emotive and bordering on
irrational). But again not one neighbour has phoned me personally (I
have given my mobile to all neighbours several times and on all letters
delivered to them), not one has walked into the hostel during the day to
speak with us, make an appointment, phone during daytime hours or try to
make contact in any way. Our Reception is open 7 days a week from 7am -
9pm. We believe in some ways this shows that the concerns that are being
raised are not at the level they are saying they are. It also leads me
to wonder why all the submissions are very similar in their outline and
intent? 




We also would be more than happy to sit in mediation with Council and
our neighbours to work through the issues raised and come to practical
workable solutions - now they have been raised.




The current site of Noosa Flashpackers has been in the our family for
29 years, previously as a family operated Garden Centre and landscaping
business and for the past 8 ½ years as a Youth Hostel providing budget
accommodation primarily for young travellers but also families and
people of all ages including our recent eldest guest of 85 years old.





We call Noosa home, having raised our family here and enjoy the
lifestyle and beautiful surrounds that make Noosa special for all who
live and visit. Our 4 children have attended Sunshine Beach State
Primary and High Schools, (our youngest in his final year and School
Captain) and 2 of whom still live and work locally. We are community
minded and spirited people who are engaged with our local area. We
volunteer our time with Sunshine Beach SLSC and other community groups
and have sponsored and supported different community needs through our
businesses over the last 29 years and will continue to do so in the
future.




Our idea to start a Youth Hostel and provide budget accommodation was
in response to a need in our Noosa region for budget accommodation and
our love to share this beautiful place with visitors to the area. We are
not big developers from interstate, rather hard-working locals with an
idea and a drive to have a go and make a dream turn into reality. Unlike
unregulated accommodation providers such as AirBnB where any home can be
rented out, our original Development Approval had us pay over $180
000.00 in infrastructure charges to Noosa Council – that is directly for
use by council on community infrastructure. Infrastructure contributions
and Operational conditions will also be facted into this Development
Approval.




Noosa Flashpackers is a successful and sought after place to stay
because of its reputation as clean, comfortable and safe. Our occupancy
data shows we host a majority of female travellers each year due in no
small way to the fact we do not have a bar and are not seen as a 'party
place'.  Noosa’s success as a holiday destination and beautiful place to
visit is another of the secrets of our success to date. Travellers of
all ages continue to spread the word and more people will want to
holiday and ‘check out’ Noosa for its beaches, National park trails,
restaurants and surrounding beauty for years to come – it is after all
what Noosa is - a holiday destination.




Our Development Application to transform an old dishevelled building
adjoining our Hostel into staff accommodation and 2 multi- share dorms
up to 20 guests will go only a small way to solving Noosa’s lack of
available budget beds at peak periods, but it will help.




The majority of the submissions (including the texts and related
comments from Anne-Maree *BTW the text messages were to a past employee
who left Australia-Jan 2017) about noise relate to the rear unit of 106
Pacific Avenue since our purchase in November 2016. We stress this unit
has never been and still isn't part of Noosa Flashpackers and we do not
sell beds to people to stay in there. This unit is rented by some staff
and sublet to another young person not employed by us. We have limited
(if any) control over employees in their own home after work. This is
where the bulk of the recent noise issues have arisen from. Our
Development Application to make 106 Pacific Avenue part of the hostel
would bring total control over this unit and as outlined in our DA would
have no outside use after 9pm (if at all) forevermore. We believe this
will have a dramatic effect in solving the noise concerns of 27 and 29
Nebula Street and 1/45 Solway Drive. The removal of the smoking area
position in the last 2 weeks (since becoming aware of the problem) has
shown a vast improvement in amenity to Unit 1 and 2 at 25 Nebula Street
already, so improvements and compromise do have a positive outcome.




We currently employ 6 locals and 2 internationals as staff who do a
great job in ‘talking up’ our area, and all the great things to see and
do. We do not require additional staff to increase our bed numbers, so
extra staff parking is not considered necessary. 




The word 'backpacker' seems to play a huge role in stereo-typing young
travellers. We are in no way saying they are all angels but the
'pigeon-holing’ of the drugged up, hippie like party animal out to have
a good time with no regard for anyone but themselves is these days, in a
minority.




At Flashpackers our guests range from young independent travellers,
families through to couples in their 60’s and older. Yes, predominately
our guests are between 20 -35 years and often having a career break or
after University an overseas extended holiday. Of course, no one is
perfect and loud voices, especially at night can be disturbing to
neighbours and that is exactly the best part of what our proposal seeks
to remedy, to solve or reduce the chance of unsettling noise to our
neighbours at night. When cutting through what the submissions actually
say that is relevant, it is the occasional hubbub of noise between 9pm
and midnight that has the potential to disturb peoples sleep. Although I
have received 2 texts over the years, one 'threatening to hose people
over the fence' at 7.30pm, it is voices drifting in the night time quiet
that we now see as the issue. (Our rules state no music played in
outdoor communal areas after 9pm every-night). So it is the voices and
chatter at night near the rear fence that is now a major focus of ours
since being made aware of it and will act to fix the issue. 

We firmly believe our plan for outside night time use areas to be at
the Pacific Avenue Street front will go a long way to stopping the vast
majority of our neighbours’ concerns. 




There are a lot of unsubstantiated and emotive claims in some of the
submissions and as already stated, if ‘nightly party ruckus’ and
‘horrendous living conditions’ were at such a bad level, I know I would
have been visiting the owners and calling the Police, Council and
whoever I could to get the problem fixed…no one has done this even
though we have asked for comment on many occasions.

I responded immediately with the construction of a 2.1m high acoustic
fence as a way of reducing any possible night time noise drifting in the
neighbours direction 1 week after we discussed their concern. In the
last 2 weeks we have moved a night time smoking area as another
neighbour expressed the noise (although only occasionally) was coming
form that area- the right hand side rear of our property. We are
currently trialling the smoking area in a different position and by her
account it appears to be improving any night noise levels. We have in
the past 2 days further responded by making our Private rooms with
courtyards that face the rear boundary, no-smoking or music areas at any
time, removing ashtrays and placing signs in these rooms, thus
eliminating any potential for unwanted noise at night in these areas.




It has always been our intention to have no detrimental effect on the
amenity of the area and we will continue to strive to achieve the best
outcomes possible when we discover or are made aware of issues, exactly
how we responded swiftly to these 2 issues outlined above.




It is our hope to work with Council staff to implement strategies that
will improve the noise concerns our neighbours have raised. As a
starting point we offer to Council staff 3 deliverables they can
condition for us to implement with our DA for approval that will make an
immediate and effective improvement to any noise that is of concern to
neighbours. We strongly believe our plan to move the night time communal
areas to the street front of 106 Pacific Avenue will create a night time
amenity that all neighbours will be happy with.

Naturally we are open to all considerations to help resolve potential
noise or any other concern.




Suggested Conditions: 

1.	Night manager to have the Reception phone on them to answer from
9pm to midnight. From midnight it will be diverted to a Security team
response number.
2.	No night time use of Courtyard area at the rear unit of 106
Pacific Avenue. This can only be adopted with an approval, otherwise we
have little authority over people using their backyards. With the
proposal to use the units as part of the hostel the following will give
substantial improvements in amenity to the neighbours. The night use
area will be under the existing carport area which will be further
partially enclosed to funnel any talking toward the main street. The use
of the units enables a U-shaped complex which again directs noise to the
street away from neighbouring rear properties. The staff room will
become under the control of the hostel and subject to strict Management
conditions. The owners will now be able to place more control over staff
and any night time activities which will no longer happen at the rear of
the site. From reading the submissions it is apparent that the bulk of
the noise issues relate to this staff area - not the existing hostel in
recent times.
3.	We are open to discussion around a night ‘security’ type person
between 9pm and midnight.

 

 Sincerely,




Warick & Johanna Redwood