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MCU14/0106 Submission PM Neutral - Brian O'Connor
Mr Brett de Chastel Chief Executive Officer Noosa Council P.O. Box 141 Tewantin Queensland 4565 Re: MCU14/0106 - Proposed extension of No os a Civie Shopping Centre Dear Mr de Chastel I refer to the application to Noosa Council from the Qucensland Investment Corporation (QIC) relating to QIC's plans to extend the existing Noosa Civic Shopping Centre (MCU14/0106). I shall confine my comments to active and public transport consequences and impacts of the proposed development, most especially the need to examine closely the adequacy of the existing bus stop facilities at Noosa Civic, which the QIC application says will be retained (\\~thout expansion or relocation). These facilities are adequate to serve the public transport needs of shoppers, tourists and centre clients and retail-business staff, QIC argues. Its \~ewpoint is that: • The existing bus interchange is considered adequate to cater for both the proposed development and the existing centre; • Furthermore, the (existing) interchange can accommodate a substantial expansion of services ,\ithout major changes to the existing arrangement; • The location of the existing interchange is considered appropriate to service the existing centre and the proposed new development. I would argue contrary to the QIC position and put forward these points: • The existing buses accessing the current Noosa Ci~c bus interchange experience annoying delays at peak periods, thereby extending journey times and acting as a disincentive for people to use the buses; • At times, buses must wait along the internal Noosa Civic road network while a bus at the interchange drops off, or collects, passengers and then pulls out, freeing up a spot for the waiting bus. This hinders the function of the internal road network and the problem ,,~ll only get worse when the new extension starts to attract considerable additional patronage; • To access the new shops and facilities \\~thin an expanded Noosa Ci~c, passengers alighting at the existing bus interchange \\ill have to undertake a circuitous walk to get to and from where they want to go \,~thin the extension; • The prospect of more cars accessing Noosa Ci\~c, and their movements - as a consequence of the new shops and businesses - \,illlead to more congestion on internal roads (further delaying buses on their journey and making journey times variable and less reliable); • More buses ,,~ll be required to bring people to and from an expanded Noosa Ci~c, possibly involving new bus routes, and the existing interchange \\illnot have sufficient capacity at peak periods; • The new businesses, retailers and operators likely to be attracted to rent premises in the new extension (by their nature) ,\ill have as their clients a considerable percentage of older and R: .. ~.I --':2,D.TI L~; - =_._-------
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younger people - a demographic that would use buses if they had a quick turnaround and
the least possible delays at the Noosa Civic site;
• The extension will include businesses emplo}~ng white collar workers working business
hours. This type of worker would find it convenient and cost-effective to travel to and from
work via bus, and this should be encouraged;
• Convenient bus travel to and from an expanded Noosa Ch~c would attract more people to
buses, making that form of transport more viable, and reduce the number of people
travelling to the centre in their own motor car, thereby leading to congestion on surrounding
streets. QIC is rel0ng on slim tolerances before substantial intersection upgrades would be
necessary.
In its responses to council, QIC has failed to demonstrate adequately that the accommodation of
bus movements to and from a substantially bigger Noosa Civic has been dealt with seriously in its
planning. Like,,~se, the applicant has not demonstrated satisfactorily that its bus stops are located
where public and active transport cycle/foot traffic can be maximised. Sa0ng that Translink will be
consulted (presumably after council has approved the application) is not an adequate response and
shows that the QIC is not taking this issue seriously. Rather, it is showing contempt for what I
would term the 'Noosa philosophy' of encouraging people out of their cars and using alternative
means of transport to get to and from where they want to go. A lot of people "ill want to go to the
expanded Noosa Civic, which is what the QIC is counting on.
The council itself has flagged the likely shift in the 'centre of grm~ty' of movements of people to and
from the existing Noosa Civic bus stop facilities, extending to the shops and businesses in the
proposed new extension.
I submit that the size of the proposed expansion at Noosa Ch~c and the fact that the development
itself is designed to attract substantial numbers of new customers and clients to the additional
retailers, restaurants and businesses located there triggers the requirement for the QIC to build, at
its expense, the proposed new bus interchange indicated on the shire business centre map in the
Noosa Plan.
Its construction should be a condition of council granting application No. MCUI4/0106.
Yours sincerely
{f~~Lf
BRIAN O'CONNOR TJ
6 July 2015
P.O. Box 218
Gympie
Queensland 4570