2015-05-26 Planning & Organisation Committee Agenda

PLANNING & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                    26 MAY 2015


To date neither Council and/or ourselves have received a single complaint regarding any aspect
of our business. If anything, we now have full support of several previous incorrectly made
submitters opposing our original application. Further, we now have the full consent of all direct
neighbours to our property and along the route of the tour, inclusive of National Park neighbours.
Having experienced an accident and some very minor incidents during the first few months of
operation, we revised our training, testing and safety procedure for guests to partake in the tour.
As a result we have not had a single accident or incident for over 14 months with over 900 guests
during this time. Our operation for quad bike tours is now considered to be the safest in both
Australia and New Zealand.
We also wish to note that close to 80% of our guests are from the greater Brisbane region,
visiting the Noosa area on a day or overnight trip for the sole purpose of experiencing our unique
safe and well reviewed experience offered by Noosa Quad Bike Tours. Accordingly, these
guests inject on average $150 each into the local economy. An estimated total to date in excess
of $150,000. This is a small but significant benefit to the local economy. Our business also
injects almost all expenditure to other small businesses within the Noosa region. Some are
advertising, mechanical servicing, fuels, accounting and legal services.
We are now also ranked as the second most popular sightseeing tour on “Trip Advisor” for the
Noosa area.
As such we trust council will now remove this probationary sunset clause and grant us the
material change of use we originally applied for.
Assessment
The applicant’s submission regarding the successful operation of the business and support of
neighbours is noted.
The condition was applied to allow Council to discontinue the use in the event the business did
not comply with Council’s requirements or was found to cause undue impacts on the area.
Council’s Development Compliance Officer has undertaken inspections and confirms the
business operates in accordance with the development conditions and no complaints have been
received.
No reasons exist for the development approval to be discontinued and deletion of condition 16 is
supported.
5.     CONCLUSION
Since commencing operation in 2013 the Quad Bike Tour business has operated in accordance
with Council’s conditions of approval and has not caused significant impacts on the amenity of
the area or led to any complaints. The applicant’s request to delete Condition 16 to remove the
lapsing date and make the development permit ongoing is therefore supported.

Departments/Sections Consulted:

     Community Services                        X   Planning & Infrastructure
     Disaster Management & Public Order            Building & Plumbing Services
     Waste & Environmental Health              X   DA Planning
     Community Facilities                          Strategic Land Use Planning
     Cultural Facilities                           Asset Design & Investigations
                                                   Asset Planning
                                                   Civil Operations
                                                   Environment

     Executive Office                              Corporate Services
     Community Engagement                          Finance
     Customer Service                              ICT
     Executive Support                             Procurement & Fleet
     Governance                                    Property & Facilities
     Human Resources                               Revenue Services



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