2021-03-09 Planning & Environment Committee Meeting Agenda

PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                         9 MARCH 2021


     3.    the matters with which the public interest test report in relation to the local law and
           subordinate local law must deal; and
     4.    the consultation process for the public interest test and how the process is to be used
           in the public interest test;
D.   Approve the complaints procedure contained in Attachment 4 for the purpose of providing a
     plain English explanation of the process for dealing with complaints;
E.   Refer the resource requirements for implementing the local law and proposed fees structure
     for applications and annual renewals to the FY2021/22 budget process;
F.   Allow resident letting agents for on-site managed complexes the ability to submit one
     application form for their entire letting pool, with the fees applied per property within the letting
     pool;
G.   Authorise the CEO to make minor amendments to the documents prior to public notification.

REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present to Council a revised set of amendments to Local Law No.
1 (Administration) 2015 and Subordinate Local Law No. 1 (Administration) 2015 for the purpose of
introducing a new prescribed activity requiring approval for short stay letting and home hosted
accommodation.
1.   Background
Holiday houses have traditionally been part of the diversity of visitor accommodation in Noosa
Shire and were predominantly scattered around the beaches and Noosa River. Holiday houses
were either permanently let for visitors or locked up and used by family and friends. Older units
and townhouses in complexes were often used interchangeable for either visitor accommodation
or permanent residents depending on the market and the property owner’s intentions.
The advent of online booking platforms has however given rise to an increased number of
permanent residential properties being purchased and used for short term accommodation, many
being managed from a distance with no local presence, management structure or regulation.
This has resulted in the creep of short term accommodation and tourists into traditionally
permanent residential areas. In addition, many traditional holiday homes are being short stay let
when not in use, creating a higher intensity and turnover of guests than historically experienced.
The interchangeable use of most unit/townhouse complexes and resorts between visitors and
permanent residents, and the use of online booking platforms has also given rise to concerns, both
for the residential amenity of permanent residents as well as the onsite letting agents.
A substantial proportion of submissions to both Noosa Plan 2020 and the first draft local law
suggested, where a mix of tourists and permanent residents co-exist, the impact of short term
accommodation on residential amenity was cause for concern and needed to be addressed.
Some of the key issues identified for the operation of short term accommodation include:
   lack of local management
   lack of complaint resolution and process
   lack of regulation and enforcement
   number of guests and overcrowding
   frequency and turnover of guests
   noise disturbance
   times and use of outdoor space
   waste disposal and waste management
   number of vehicles and parking
   safety and security
   pets
   conflict between permanent residents and visitors

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