2014-09-16 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                              16 September 2014


With regard to dust nuisance, the applicant’s environmental consultant describes how the
proposal will generate on average an additional 4 vehicles per day, with the chicken pick-up
days generating 26 Heavy Vehicles trips, which is more than 25% higher than the average
daily flows on Top Forestry Road. The applicant’s environmental consultant discusses how
this peak only occurs approximately 20 times a year and submits that this is not unusual for
a rural unsealed road, and dust emissions may be minimised by appropriate maintenance of
the road surface (dust suppressant/water truck). The applicant’s proposed road maintenance
to address dust is not a preferred method and is likely to result in significant compliance
issues for Council. Also, dust nuisance is likely to occur more frequently than the applicant
submits as the proposed traffic movements indicate that in any one batch 9 of the 63 days
heavy vehicle movements will exceed 10 in any day. This amounts to 52 times a
year. Given the heavy vehicle movements are reasonably frequent and that the poultry farm
will increase the number of heavy vehicles on the road to more than 20% of the total vehicle
movements on the road, sealing of Top Forestry Road is the preferred method of
addressing the potential dust nuisance and is consistent with the Eastern Downs Standard.

With regard to road maintenance, Council’s Civil Operations Branch Manager notes that if
Top Forestry Road remains unsealed, then there would be increased maintenance costs to
Council for grading & re-sheeting due to gravel loss under traffic. Furthermore, it is expected
that the pavement design on Cooroy Belli Creek and Old Ceylon Roads would not have
allowed for the additional heavy vehicle volumes generated by the proposed development
and therefore Council could expect that the life of the pavement on these roads would be
reduced & hence increase the maintenance cost & bring forward the requirement for full
reconstruction or rehabilitation.

While the applicant has undertaken a more detailed assessment of the road safety impacts,
including recommended upgrading to sections of Top Forestry Road, Council’s traffic
consultant advises the carriageway requires greater widening in places and the works do not
fully address the additional impacts associated with dust nuisance and future maintenance
costs for Council.

Noise

A revised noise assessment has been carried out by the applicant. The assessment
concludes that the noise amenity criteria for the on-site poultry sheds meet the relevant
guidelines and would not impact neighbours amenity. This report has been reviewed by
Council’s consultant (Pacific Environment) who advises the assumptions and modelling of
the proposed on-site noise impacts comply with the relevant standards. However, the
proposal does not fully consider increased traffic noise to surrounding residents living along
the proposed haul route.

The applicant’s reporting does not take into consideration the chicken pick-up days, which
will commence at 2:30am and involve 26 heavy vehicle movements over a 10 hour period.
While these pick-ups are predicted to occur only 5 times during each 63 day cycle, the timing
and frequency of the truck movements during normal sleeping hours represents an
unacceptable noise nuisance for residents living adjacent to the haul route. Residents along
Top Forestry Road, Old Ceylon and Cooroy Belli Creek Road live generally in close
proximity to the road carriageway and are likely to be impacted. The haul route also includes
the residential streets of Maple St and Crystal St. Industrial type traffic during the night
would be an unreasonable imposition on the amenity and expectations of residents living
along these streets.




                                                                                   Page 28 of 145