2019-12-10 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                     10 DECEMBER 2019


REPORT

1. Background

Council maintains a forward fees and charges schedule for all holiday parks to allow for future
booking of sites by customers. Twice yearly, Council reviews and amends fees as required to
maintain an 18 month advance booking period commensurate with industry standards. This
report seeks to set fees and charges for the Noosa River Holiday Park to 30 June 2021 to
maintain the advance booking period.

The Noosa River Holiday Park (NRHP) is one of Queensland’s most popular holiday parks. It
was originally established from an 80 acre reserve for public purposes with camping recorded as
a sustained use since the 1920’s. The NRHP was excised from the 80 acre reserve in 1956 and
reserved for camping and recreation purposes under the trusteeship of Noosa Council. In 2009,
the holiday park was recognised on the State Government’s Heritage Register. The citation notes
the following in relation to the holiday park:

Local communities and visitors have come to attach special significance to caravan parks as places of
leisure as has been demonstrated by their efforts to protect council operated caravan parks on Crown land.
As a site intrinsically linked to the development of tourism in Noosa Shire since the 1920s at least, it is an
important part of Queensland's cultural heritage.

The NRHP has consistently increased in popularity and remains an important contributor to the
pattern and evolution of Queensland tourism. Framed by the Noosa River, annual occupancy is
consistently above 95% and it remains a low cost accommodation option for visitors to Noosa.

The NRHP is also Council’s second highest electricity consumer with 431,161kWh of electricity
consumed in 2018/19. Electricity consumption increased by 11% in 2018/19 from the previous
year. Annual electricity consumption over the last three years is shown in Figure 1 below.

Figure 1 - Noosa River Holiday Park Annual Electricity Consumption (kWh)




Noosa Council adopted its Carbon Reduction Policy at the May 2016 Ordinary Meeting,
committing to a reduction in carbon and greenhouse gas emissions and establishing a target to
be zero net emissions in its operations and services by 2026. The aim of the Carbon Reduction
Policy is to drive greater efficiency in Council’s use of natural resources by gaining a full
understanding of energy usage, leading by example and inspiring change by demonstrating best
practice options to the community.




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