2021-01-18 GC - Item 2 - Attachment 3 - Consultation Report River Plan Version 2 (2019-20)

                           -    Establish a River Management Committee to better advise the Mayor and Councillors. Ensure any update of the Guidelines for new businesses is prepared
                                in consultation with community and existing businesses and not prepared in isolation by Council staff.
                           -    Remove this reference.
                           -    Ensure any reference to commercial leases is legally correct.
                           -    Ensure references are legally correct.
                           -    Moderate Council’s aspirations so they do not contravene State and Federal legislation.
                           -    Ensure references are correct.
                           -    Moderate Council’s aspirations so they do not contravene State and Federal legislation.
                           -    Ensure references are legally correct.
                           -    Moderate Council’s aspirations so they do not contravene State and Federal legislation.
                           -    Ensure there is no increase in regulation, red tape and bureaucracy which impacts negatively on new or existing small businesses.

Noosaville Business    New businesses (as per comments above with changes or additions)
Association, Noosa         -    The report states “The Noosa River is already congested during peak holiday periods and activity has reached a level where stringent control over new
Commercial                      businesses is now required”.
Boatman’s                  -    No data is provided or known to be available, and no issues are put forward, to support this statement.
Association                -    Recreational vessels significantly exceed the number and impacts of commercial vessels operating on the Noosa River.
                           -    No data is provided or known to be available, and no issues are put forward, to support this statement.
                           -    The report fails to describe a single issue affecting the river associated with marine businesses and inappropriately infers congestion is a result of marine
                                businesses rather than recreational vessels.
                           -    Recreational vessels significantly exceed the number of commercial vessels operating on the Noosa River.
                           -    Council has no mandate or jurisdiction to control marine businesses outside of the existing legislation.
                           -    We specifically note that Council has no meaningful information on the size, number of or types of existing businesses, understanding of consumer
                                demand for marine businesses, any strategy to guide future decision making if it did have any control.
                           -    To this end, our Association opposes the current Council’s desire to ‘cap tourism’ and the marine services available to residents and visitors that enable
                                them to experience the Noosa River.
                           -    The report incorrectly states that Council approval may be required for subleases of commercial leases.
                           -    Council is not a party to Crown leases and their approval is not required nor to any sub-tenancy agreements by that lessee.
                           -    It is our understanding that Council has no data on what subleases or sub-tenancy agreements even exist.
                           -    No data is provided to support the inference that Council is overwhelmed with inquiries for approval of marine businesses and our Association believes this
                                suggestion to be unlikely and exaggerated.
                           -    The plan states that Council does not support Floating Shops but does not provide a legal basis for the statement that floating shops cannot operate from a
                                commercial jetty.
                           -    Reasonable ancillary uses are allowable if primary use is a marine facility.
                           -    The plan states in several instances that boat ramps exist for private boat owners and may not be used by commercial vessels.
                           -    While marine businesses may not operate their business from those ramps, commercial vessels are equally entitled to use ramps.
                           -    Action required by Council
                           -    Ensure any statements that are critical of marine businesses are supported by evidence or data otherwise remove the statements.
                           -    Amend the Plan to ensure Council ambitions are consistent with and do not propose to contravene State and Federal legislation and jurisdictions.
                           -    Remove any actions from the Plan that are not directly and transparently linked to solving identified issues.
                           -    The Plan should recommend that Council move away from its traditional adversarial model of operation and enter into a new, positive dialogue with
                                commercial leaseholders and marine businesses to support the positive management of the river.
                           -    Establish a River Management Committee to better advise the Mayor and Councillors.
                           -    Ensure any update of the Guidelines for new businesses is prepared in consultation with community and industry and not prepared in isolation by Council
                                staff.
                           -    Ensure the Plan corrects references to when Council approval is required or not for marine businesses operating from a commercial jetty.
                           -    Provide data to substantiate claims of excessive demand for new businesses or remove the perceived exaggeration.
                           -    Ensure future guidelines not that any reasonable ancillary uses are acceptable if the primary use is a marine facility.
                           -    Ensure references to boat ramps and marine businesses are correct.

                       THEME: WORKING TOGETHER
Private                I support that Kabi Kabi are included in the governance and ongoing management of the river catchment.

Queensland Parks       QPWS commend and support NSC’s efforts to ensure best management of the Noosa River and catchment and welcome the opportunity to continue our
and Wildlife Service   collaborative relationship in achieving this end.
(QPWS) and
Partnerships -
Department of
Environment and
Science
Department of          I write in relation to the draft Noosa River Plan (the draft plan) that is currently open for consultation and thank you for the opportunity to provide comment.
Transport and Main           -     I note Noosa Council’s (NC) vision is that ‘the Noosa River is recognised as the healthiest and most biodiverse system in South East Queensland’.
Roads / Director             -     The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) supports your vision and will work with NC to achieve this vision to the greatest extent possible.
General
Neil Scales
Noosa Jetty            Working Together
Builders                   -    The Plan (again) fails to acknowledge commercial operators, jetty leaseholders and marine businesses as key stakeholders in its development.
                           -    I note Council did not respond to formal feedback on the 2018 draft plan and has not sought to consult with any commercial operator in the intervening 1.5
                                years ahead of issuing draft 2.
                           -    I dispute Council’s suggestion of wanting “genuine partnerships” as suggested on page 53.
                           -    The Plan fails to present a meaningful schedule of consultation with community before the second draft is presented to Council.
                           -    Any consultation should extend outside the peak holiday season which constrains the capacity of all businesses in the shire from responding adequately.
                           -    I strongly oppose to Council rushing the second draft through when it is in caretaker mode and proposing radical steps ahead of an election.
                           -    I strongly recommend Council extend the consultation until after the election.
                           -    The 3rd paragraph (page 53) incorrectly states that the community feedback has initiated Council’s push to control recreational use of the river.
                           -    No data is provided to support this political ambition and the statement is strongly questioned by me.
                           -    In contrast, I note however that there is a strong and concerted opposition to many aspects of Council’s river plan and political ambitions to cap tourism
                                and commercial capacity in the region.
                           -    Action required
                           - Amend plan to acknowledge commercial operators as a significant stakeholder group that has not been actively consulted.
                           - Provide a written response to the feedback received to the 2018 draft plan as well as this submission.
                           -    The Plan should instead recommend that Council move away from its traditional adversarial model of operation and enter into a new, positive dialogue with
                                commercial leaseholders and marine businesses to support the positive management of the river.
                           -    Establish a River Management Committee to better advise the Mayor and Councillors.
                           -    Extend the draft plan’s consultation to after the election.
                           -    Correct this statement.

Noosaville Business    Working Together
Association, Noosa


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