Lawnville Road Chicken Farm

RE: Proposed Development Permit
Reference No: MCU14/0028
I am writing this submission to indicate my strong objection to Application no: MCU14/0028 wherein approval is being sought for Development Permit for Material change of Use (Animal Husbandry Type 2 – Intensive)
My concerns begin with the inevitable visual impact, odour and noise of the initial proposal of 1,000 chickens and the applicant’s future plans to increase the number of birds and other livestock.  This will lead to the disturbance to our peaceful hinterland lifestyle. The current proposal indicates 1000 birds.  However, it clearly states ‘When Melsted Park has more than 1000 birds’ on page 6 of their proposal, that it is their intention to increase the number of chickens once production begins! What will council put in place to control this inevitable increase from happening?
Lay of the land:
Noted in the proposal, is the following description ‘The land is gently undulating with steep areas in parts’. I believe this is misleading at best; a better description would be, ‘The land is steep with a few gently sloping ridges’. In the ‘Cooroy & Lake Macdonald Natural Hazard: Landslide & Flooding Overlay (Map OM3.3) of ‘The Noosa Plan’ the proposed area is designated as a Landslide Hazard due to the steepness. With this in mind, while the total area of Melsted Park farm, 60 hectares seems substantial for the proposed enterprise, the amount of land useable for the proposed ‘chicken tractor runs’ is only the few ridges, a small proportion of the property, due to the steep slopes. Further to this, the proposed ‘chicken tractors’ will feature prominently in the landscape, as they follow the top of the four ridges on the property, thus destroying the peaceful ambience of the surrounding valley, due to the noise of chickens and the visual pollution of the associated ‘chicken tractors’ (chicken caravans) interrupting the beautiful vistas.
Visual pollution:
The ‘chicken tractors’ (chicken caravans) in the proposal, are designed to be transported over the property. Are there any council regulations that will ensure that these ‘mobile chicken runs’ don’t just become ‘mobile shanties’ or is this just a way around council building regulations?  Will a shanty town of ‘chicken tractors’ be the area’s foreseeable future?
Noise:
Currently, near neighbours beyond the far side of my property from my house, have a small flock of birds that free range. While this is a pleasant sound of rural life, I can only imagine the noise 1000 chickens housed in shiny metal sheds will make, especially with the chickens spread across the tops of ridges without any form of natural buffer to soften the sound. Rural properties are by description and nature ‘quiet’.  So quiet, that when the wind is blowing from the right direction, you feel you could join in the conversation taking place on your neighbour’s verandah over a quarter of a kilometre away.  The introduced sound of over 1000 chickens will be deafening in such a quiet area! After over twenty five years of living ‘la dolce vita’ (the sweet life), it would be criminal for this to be denied to all the residents of our valley, simply because the applicant purchased a property and amid claims that “traditional farming methods are no longer financially viable.” wants to intensively farm an area not suited for such an enterprise.

Odour:
The odours that will undoubtedly emanate from the intensive farming of chickens and pigs will also prove distressing to neighbours. With such limited usable land available for the chicken runs due to steepness, I suspect concentration of faecal matter across the tops of ridges will be significant. This, concentration of nutrient, in such a high rainfall area will inevitably become runoff down to dams and the head of Six Mile Creek.
Traffic and road network:
Lawnville Road and Cooroy – Belli Creek Road are narrow windy roads that have become increasingly busy with local usage and tourist traffic that includes cars, motorbike enthusiasts, and bike riders . Many residents’ driveways are ‘concealed’ as indicated by Council’s own signage. While the proposal claims, ‘There will be limited impact on the road network’, it also indicates the property’s production is to be ramped up dramatically, with cattle production doubling from 1 head per hectare to 2, added to this, will be 20 pigs and over 1000 chickens! While consistently claiming limited impact on the road network, the proposal does concede that trucks will be used for livestock transport and bulk grain deliveries. Not what I call, ‘limited impact’ on such narrow and windy roads, where this extra traffic will undoubtedly prove problematic. Will council be liable for the increased risk and subsequent accidents or does council have plans to upgrade the roads around the proposed farm?

I respectfully urge council to reject this proposal in its current form based on its failure to meet Division 2 – Agricultural Uses Code
14.4 Overall outcomes for the Agricultural Uses Code
14.4.2 The overall outcomes sought by the Agricultural Uses Code are the following –
b) Uses and works are located, designed and managed to –
i. Avoid significant adverse impacts on the amenity enjoyed by users of other premises, including visual and acoustic privacy;
Short of this, I ask that measures be implemented that at least stipulate conditions that will ensure that future expansion of this enterprise beyond 120 cattle, 1000 chickens and 20 pigs be ruled out.
If this proposal goes ahead, I am certain that it will be the demise of the hinterland’s current idyllic lifestyle.
I thank you for the opportunity to submit this objection.
P A and M B Blackmore