Objection to the proposed development s at 298 Tablelands Rd Cooran · MCU12/0012

Objection to the proposed development of home based quad bike business at 298 Tablelands Rd Cooran.

Development application MCU 12/0012

Name of Objector:		Lynette Therese McAndrew
Address of Objector		226 Tablelands Road COORAN 4569
Postal address of objector	PO Box 10 COORAN 4569
Contact phone		0407 029 751

I hereby lodge an objection to the above development, on the following grounds:

(a)  Condition of Tablelands Rd. The home based business will be based at and use for main access Tablelands Road.
• Tablelands Road is a very narrow, steep gravel road, with steep drop-off on one side and deep drainage ditch on the other.
• there are several culverts and drainage channels cut across the road in the section located between 298 Tablelands Road, and the 4WD track to be used by the quad bike tour business.
•the road is already difficult to travel on and requires great caution to pass oncoming single vehicles., let alone a number of quad bikes travelling in convoy.
• Tablelands Road receives infrequent maintenance (once a year is mentioned in the development application itself). Consequently the condition of the road steadily deteriorates over that time, and becomes progressively more unsafe. This is especially true of the section that lies between the location of the business and the 4WD track.

(b)  Use of the 4WD track. I understand that the track is not an official road, but is used by a variety of vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
• Telstra and Energex trucks regularly use it to access infrastructure in parts of the track.
• private 4WD vehicles use it to access the Woondum NP and the Rock Pools, also targeted by the development application.
• Part of the Noosa Trail Network (Trail 3) shares the 4WD track, and therefore is used by bushwalkers and other pedestrians.
• during recent floods in 2011 and 2012, the track had a much higher rate of usage to circumvent the flooded Bruce Highway and floods in the Kin Kin area.
• the track is in generally poor condition as a result of the existing traffic, and will deteriorate further with greatly increased traffic as proposed by the application. The amount of run-off from the road into streams is already having a detrimental effect on track verges.

(c) Possible contravention of development guidelines for Home Based businesses.
• I refer to the section of the Noosa Plan Home Based Business Type 3 – significant scale. The application appears not to confirm with section S54.1 or S55.1.
It seems from the document submitted with the application that the total area taken up by the business on the property will exceed 300m, and that the required 6 people could be exceeded on any operating day.
• Condition of entry driveway: as currently evident from visual inspection, the proposed entryway and driveway is not at the stage claimed on P3, section 5 of the application.
• the entry of the driveway to Tablelands Rd occurs on a curve which causes it to be hidden from local traffic coming down the steep section above it. This is unstated in the development application when outlining entry and exit provisions of the property.
• the curve of the road at the entry will require a sharp uphill turn by quad bikes emerging from the property, increasing risk to local traffic.
• granting of development approval to a business in a risky environment that contravenes sections of the Noosa Plan will provide a precedent for other businesses to use.

(d) Incompatibility of proposed business to National Park status

• while the 4WD track itself may not form part of the Woondum NP, the track itself runs though a section of the former state forest that was previously lightly harvested, and where harvesting ceased in particular because of the character of flora in the area.
• the beauty of the remaining forest is an outstanding feature of the forest on either side of the 4WD track, with its variety of flora and fauna. The Woondum NP forms part of the most northerly occurrence of Crimson Rosellas. I have personally seen crimson rosellas while walking along the forest track. Nird life in the forest is particularly rich because of its relatively undisturbed environment.
•It is inconceivable that potentially two quad bike tours a day through the forest, of up to 6 or 7 bikes, will in any way be compatible with the values of its National Park status.

[word/footer1.xml]
1