PM Submission - Alan & Karel Beech - MCU17/002.02

Attachment 2:
Noosa Today 14 May 2021

  STA Submissions                                      according to the number of bedrooms in
                                                       the dwelling. Permits for STAs have already
   Although until now residents’ submissions           been granted to many houses in residential
   have not been able to be received, there have       areas. Neighbours need to be able to register
   been robust discussions of this issue on social     noise complaints that have involved police
   media, with a lot of testimonials from people-      call-outs with council, and tines be issued
   living in close proximity to 'party houses'.ln      to owners if it is found that the dwelling has
   determining a council policy on Short Term          breached acceptable standards. Should any
  Accommodation the following points need to           one residence have three such complaints
   be considered:                                      registered, then the council should have the
   1. Should whole houses be allowed to be STA S?      right to withdraw the owners STA permit.
      Residents living next to houses that are rent­    Joy Ringrose,
      ed out to visitors have found that:               Pomona
   ■ Often excessive numbers use the house, for
      accomodation and partying.
  • Unacceptable noise levels, until late hours, is
      a frequent occurrence.
  ■ Policing is often inadequate.
  « l arge numbers of vehicles are frequently
      parked in the street.
  ■ Community depends on neighbours sup­
      porting each other. Party houses undermine                       STA Confusion
      this by removing proximity of neighbours.                        In the article'STA Deadline Extended' (NT 7/5),
  ■ If owners are not on site, they cannot moni­                       when it comes to short term accommodation,
     tor ST tenant behaviour.                                          its seems that some lobby groups and even a
  2. As Byron Bay AND Noosa have found:                                councillor are confused about the differing
  ■ STA’s make local rental accomodation too                           roles of the Noosa Plan and the proposed Lo­
     expensive for low paid workers.                                   cal Law currently under consideration.
  ■ Businesses suffer staff shortages because                              T he Noosa Plan prescribes how properties
     people cannot afford to live locally.                             arc allowed to be used. After much discus­
  ■ Housing costs become out of each for first                         sion, consultation, consternation and debate,
     home buyers.                                                      Noosa Council (in spite of my then objections)
                                                                       decided to define ongoing short term letting of
  » The character of the community becomes                             entire houses as 'inconsistent' and 'impact as­
     more transient, with these houses empty in                        sessable' in most low- density residential zones.
     the low season, and occupied by high turn­                        That means that although house owners can
     over in the high season.                                          theoretically make the required development
  3. When a room in a residential house is rented                      applications and pay the hefty fees, their re­
     out, the Party House problems do not arise,                       quests are unlikely to be approved.For units
     as the owner is present to monitor behav-                         in medium and high density zones, ongoing
     iour.Conclusion: It is preferable to not have                     short term letting has been defined in the
     whole houses rented out as STA. STAs should                        Noosa Plan as 'consistent' and 'impact assess-
     be limited to: units where there is an onsite                      able', which also means the requisite applica­
     manager; individual rooms in houses where                          tions, fees and public notifications are a must.
     the occupants are present for the duration of                      No shortcuts and no easy task.
     the stay-; granny flats where the owners are                          So the worst-case-scenario concerns re­
     present on site during the stay. There should                      ported in the article - that neighbourhoods
     be a strict limit placed on the number of                          will be overrun with short term letting of hous­
     people permitted to stay in any one STA,                           es and units - has already been firmly averted
                                                                        by Council through the new Noosa Plan which
                                                                        has only just been finalised and is not current­
                                                                        ly under review.
                                                                            The purpose of the Local Law is simply to
                                                                        put in place protocols and rules to manage the
                                                                        potential noise, rubbish, parking and other is­
                                                                        sues that may arise in a minority of cases. Sen­
                                                                        sible.
                                                                            Ingrid lackson,
                                                                            Noosaville Former Noosa councillor