2014-09-16 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   16 September 2014




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PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                  16 September 2014

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  council as there were 101 submissions objecting to, and 29 submissions supporting, the development
  proposal.
  EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  This application seeks approval for a Poultry Farm defined by The Noosa Plan as Animal Husbandry Type
  2 — Intensive at 136 Top Forestry Road, Ridgewood. The applicant proposes to construct 8 large sheds
  (100m to 130m long x 16m wide) on the site’s ndgeline to house up to 250,000 birds, with day old chicks
 reared for a period of 6-9 weeks before being transported off site overnight for chicken meat
  production. The sheds are then cleaned out over a 2 week period and spent litter from the sheds is
  stockpiled within 2 bunded areas, before being spread on the avocado tree orchard. The cycle then starts
 again, with up to 6 cycles a year possible.
  The site is zoned Rural under The Noosa Plan and, in this zone, a poultry farm is required to follow an
 impact assessment process. Accordingly, the applicant must demonstrate the selected site is suitable for
 the proposed use, and that the potential impacts can be appropriately managed.
 This report concludes that the site is not suitable and the proposed poultry farm will have unacceptable
  impacts on the traffic safety of Top Forestry Road, and adverse amenity impacts for residents living near
  the farm and on the transport route.
  Top Forestry Road is not of a suitable standard to cater for the number of heavy vehicles expected to be
  generated by the poultry farm, being an unsealed road with a number of tight bends. In any one of the 9
  week batch cycles, the poultry farm is likely to generate approximately 348 heavy vehicle tnps. During
 peak times, the number of truck movements is anticipated to be 92 trips (in and out) a week, with the last
  bird collection potentially being up to 90 truck trips over 1 to 2 nights. These truck numbers would also
 significantly impact on residents living along the traffic route, given bird collection is anticipated to be
  throughout the night and the route travels through Cooroy’s urban residential streets. Dust generated from
  these movements along Top Forestry Road is also likely to cause a nuisance for residents.
  In terms of potential odour impacts, Pacific Environment on behalf of council advise that no data has been
  provided of the emissions from manure stockpiles and manure spreading. Therefore, they are unable to
  support the applicant's submission that the poultry farm complies with the Queensland odour guidelines for
 rural zoned land. Odour modelling also identifies that the closest houses are at nsk of distinct odour
  impacts at times, with the report failing to address one of the closest sensitive receiver locations.
  While a number of submissions were concemed about the proposal’s potential to adversely impact on
  water quality in the Mary River Catchment, council's environmental specialist concludes this is unlikely but,
 were the application to be approved, ongoing monitoring of the waterways would be
  necessary. Notwithstanding this, it should be noted that discussions with the Department of Agriculture,
 Forestry and Fisheries indicates that manure should be composted for a minimum of 12 weeks before use
 on farms and that the proposed application rate is likely to kill the tree crop.
  The application is, therefore, recommended for refusal.
  OFFICER RECOMMENDATION
  That Council REFUSE Application No. MCU12/0184 for a Development Permit for Material Change of
  Use for Animal Husbandry Type 2 — Intensive (Poultry Farm) and Environmentally Relevant Activity
  (ERA 4 - Poultry Farming), situated at 136 Top Forestry Rd, Ridgewood for the following reasons:
  1.    the proposed poultry farm does not comply with the Overall Outcomes of The Noosa Plan's
        Mary River Catchment Locality, Agricultural Uses and Transport, Roads and Drainage Codes
 2.     the proposed poultry farm does not achieve sufficient separation distance from surrounding
        residents so as to avoid adverse odour impacts on residents’ amenity, with insufficient
        details provided on the emissions from manure stockpiles, manure spreading, and for one of
        the closest sensitive receiver locations
 3.     the proposal will have unacceptable impacts on the safety of Top Forestry Road and the

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