2018-03-06 Services & Organisation Committee Agenda

SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                    6 MARCH 2018


Noosa Main Beach Events Policy
There is a current lack of policy direction regarding the number, scale and frequency of events
occurring on Noosa Main Beach. The Noosa Main Beach Events Policy responds to the increasing
pressures being placed on Noosa Main Beach by:
   Guiding Council’s approach to event applications to ensure community access to the beach
     is not unreasonably diminished and that Noosa’s relaxation capital of Australia reputation is
     maintained.
   Ensuring that an appropriate number of events are allowed each year that provide economic
     and social benefits to the local community wherever possible.
   Ensuring that events enhance and contribute to the Noosa Brand.
   Clearly articulating that the beach is a dynamic environment and cannot be relied upon to
     provide a consistent event-to-event experience in terms of both potential beach erosion and
     variable ocean conditions.
   Achieving a sustainable tourism sector as well as ensuring that our lifestyle and the
     environment are preserved.

The main provisions of the proposed policy are:
   The community’s day-to-day use of the land and water will generally take precedence over
     events.
   Events that require the beach or the water as the core element of event activities (e.g. surf
     carnivals, events involving swimming or surfing etc.) will be given precedence over events
     that could be staged elsewhere (e.g. musical performance events, food festivals, film
     screenings etc).
   Events that are locally owned and operated are preferred over events run by operators based
     outside the Shire.
   Corporate Events seeking use of the beach may only occur at Noosa Main Beach West
     (between the middle rock wall and the river mouth).
   Council will not support events that do not add value to the Noosa brand.
   Tourism Noosa will assess tourism event grant funding applications prior to Council
     consideration of any permit application, however the final determination regarding permit
     approval rests with Council.
   Tourism Events will not be approved to take place in the Queensland and interstate school
     holiday periods or on long weekends given resident and visitor demand for beach access
     over those periods.
   Community events may be considered for approval to take place in school holiday periods
     and long weekends having regard to the likely impact on the community and commercial
     businesses, extent of proposed community engagement, expected community benefit and
     the capacity of infrastructure to support the event (event example includes Noosa Heads
     SLSC Seahorse Nippers Program).
   The event must not adversely impact the beach or the surrounding environment.
   Event organisers must accept the risk that the beach profile is subject to change, especially
     in response to large swells. Council is under no obligation to re-establish the beach profile in
     any particular timeframe or to any particular standard in response to beach erosion.
   Requests for any additional event works (e.g. sand profiling on the beach) which are outside
     of Council’s standard beach maintenance schedule will be costed and recovered from the
     event organiser via the event application process.


                                                                                     Page 53 of 79