Letter to the Noosa Shire Council

Noosa Shire Council
PO Box 141,
TEWANTIN QLD 4565

Mr M. Counter and Mr P. Briggs
692 Cooroy Belli Creek Rd
Cooroy 4563
Ph 0413696619

To Whom It May Concern:

Re: Chook Tractor Proposal – MCU14/0028

We write to request that the Noosa Shire Council reject Development Application MCU14/0028 for a material change of use to 317 Lawnville Road Black Mountain from Animal Husbandry Type 1 – Traditional to Animal Husbandry Type 2 – Intensive. My partner and I live directly on the boundary of this property and expect it to impact on us in several ways.

The area immediately surrounding the property at 317 Lawnville Road has, over the years, become surrounded by small acreage “lifestyle” properties, including ours. The size and location of these allotments, (the most recent being the Noosa Hills Estate), have been approved and sanctioned by previous Noosa councils.

Whilst the area is officially zoned Rural, previous Councils have allowed this precinct to grow into a Rural Residential pocket, without the associated zoning. Local residents have subsequently paid premium prices to enjoy the peace and tranquillity on offer here.

Approving the creation of an intensive chook farm right in the middle of these properties, in our view, would be to dishonour the understood position of earlier Councils,  and be a grave injustice to all those who invested here on that basis.

We have been advised by a trusted local Real Estate Agent that a decision by the Council to upgrade the adjoining land from “traditional use” to “intensive chook farming” would likely alter the future marketability of our property. Agents would have to disclose that we now border land approved for “intensive farming”, driving prospective buyers off to consider less risky options.

We could therefore predict that the future saleability of similarly adjoining properties will be equally affected, starting a cyclical reduction in the marketability and value of the entire area. It seems therefore vastly unfair that Council would consider approving this application when ONLY the applicants will benefit, and do so at the expense of all other neighbours, most of whom were here first.

Over and above the financial considerations, we also hold serious concerns about the nature of the operation of the “tractors”, and in particular that the “generalised” noise set back distances required by the Noosa Council will not be adequate.

Currently the “auditorium” like shape of this valley means that sound regularly echoes across the valley, and can be worsened by prevailing winds. We regularly hear domestic sounds like dogs, property work etc from the residence at 317 Lawnville Rd (almost 1 km across the valley away) domestic fowl noises from 642 Belli Creek Rd, (700 mtrs away), children playing at 655 Cooroy Belli Creek Rd (500 mtrs away), chooks cackling and pigs grunting at 673 Cooroy Belli Creek Rd (250 mtrs away), etc.

Whilst none of these noises concern us as they are transient, infrequent, and part of a rural landscape, they highlight how easily noise travels in such a quiet neighbourhood.

The addition of 800 – 900 cackling chooks to the valley (with half as little as 150 mtrs away) plus all the associated servicing, is of serious concern. Given what would seem to be a lack of precedent for an undertaking of this nature in this Shire we ask how the Council can be certain that it has these distances right, and it is not condemning us, and all our neighbours to a new level of noise pollution commencing soon after dawn 365 days a year.

We understand the difficulties faced by Council’s with the not in my backyard logic frequently used by many people to object to applications such as this, and support the Council’s position on trying to promote innovative agricultural pursuits within the Shire, however believe this philosophy should only drive future planning, and not be used to justify rewriting previous Council decisions.

The Vision Statement goes on to say that the chook tractor proposal is green, eco-friendly, focused on rejuvenating the pastures to support cattle etc, however it seems to us that there are also discrepancies in this story.

The first is highlighted at the bottom of page 6 where It explains that when Henbury Park has more than 1000 chooks it will need to…. The owners of Henbury Park have openly admitted to neighbours that their intention is to have more than 1000 chooks in the future, with numbers of 3000 and 5000 mentioned. This stated intent makes it clear that their prime purpose is to move into more profitable chook farming, not to “create a diversified, balanced farm ecosystem” as their submission promises.

The second is the nature of the proposal itself.  Historical clearing of trees at 317 Lawnville Rd has left almost exclusively grass paddocks. (see aerial shot in submission). Most remaining trees have, or are to be, electrically fenced off around watercourses. The proposed hilltop “free range” areas for chooks are therefore almost completely devoid of shade trees and/or cover from flying predators. This leaves the tractors themselves as the only source of protection. It seems now that only 2 x 3m x 6m caravans are proposed to house the laying birds, meaning that approximately 400 – 450 birds will have to squeeze in under the small footprint of their “chook tractor” to avoid the hot sun and flying predators during the day. We submit that whilst the proposal describes these birds as “free range”, their reality will be anything but, and their accommodations will be stifling and cruel during hot summer months and heatwaves

The third is the prospect of the uncontained chook droppings from so many chooks being washed into 6 Mile Creek during heavy rains leading to algal blooms and degradation of amphibious habitats further downstream. A situation that would be worsened should future expansion be allowed to go ahead.

Finally, our property and neighbours have already experienced problems with wild dogs. Should the proposal go ahead, there is a real risk that additional wild dogs, chicken hawks and eagles will be attracted to the area. Many locals, including us,  have domestic animals including chooks, dogs, ducks, peacocks etc, all of which will be at greater risk of predation should this proposal be allowed to proceed.

For the above reasons we ask that the Council reject this application.

___________________________     ____________________________
             Mark Counter                                            Phillip Briggs

CC: Mayor Noel Playford,
       Clr Sandy Boulton
       Clr Bob Abbot
 Clr Tony Wellington
 Clr Frank Wilkie