Meeting minutes

ORDINARY MEETING MINUTES                                                          18 JULY 2024


            Does Noosa Council hold in its possession any documentation generated by the
            Department of Environment and Science which refers to a discussion DES had a
            while back with ... (name withheld)... (Noosa Parks Association) about the pros
            and cons of declaring a Conservation Park in parts of the Noosa River System as
            ... 'not being the best idea' Yes or No?
            Response provided by Acting CEO Kerri Contini
            To the best of our knowledge, the only documentation that Council holds which
            has been generated by the Department of Environment and Science and refers to
            a discussion DES had with Noosa Parks Association about the pros and cons of a
            Conservation Park in Noosa River, is a copy of an email that was attached to Mr
            McCarthy’s application for today's public question time. This email appears to be
            between two state government employees and references an earlier discussion
            between those employees and the Noosa Parks Association. Part of this same
            email was attached by a member of the public who submitted an Administrative
            Action Complaint in June 2024.

            Question 2.
            The community believes it's a double standard to propose removing 103 carparks
            in the Noosaville Foreshore plan and encourage public & active transport use
            when Noosa Council won't lead by example and require Council staff & Councillors
            to transit to & from work only using public & active transport. (a) Will Noosa Council
            consider implementing a staff and Councillor policy to transit to and from work by
            means of public or active transport? (b) If yes, does Council anticipate a significant
            reduction in staffing levels similar to the significant reduction in both staff and
            customer levels business owners on the Noosaville foreshore anticipate receiving
            if the Noosaville Foreshore Master Plan was adopted?
            Response provided by Acting CEO Kerri Contini
            The draft Noosaville Foreshore Management Plan responded to the community’s
            requests in the first round of consultation to increase the amount of greenspace.
            Part of the proposal to achieve this is to relocate approximately 100 carparks from
            directly on the foreshore and place them within the broader foreshore precinct with
            an approximate four-minute walk to the foreshore. A report is being considered by
            Council at today’s Ordinary Meeting to potentially conduct a further round of
            stakeholder and community education and foreshore businesses would be a key
            stakeholder in this consultation. Noosa Council’s Transport Strategy 2017 – 2027
            proposes a staged shift in modal transport to reduce reliance on private vehicles,
            it facilitates other forms of sustainable transport and outlines strategies which
            assists voluntary shift to public and active transport. Council encourages and
            actively supports staff who wish to use sustainable means of transport to work,
            particularly where car park spaces are in high demand. Our goal is to gradually
            transition to more sustainable transport practices along with the broader
            community and we do not anticipate that this will result in a reduction in staffing
            levels.

   11.4.    CRAIG VELLA

            Question 1.
            I understand that domestic animals are not allowed off leash in Conservation
            Parks. If a Conservation Park over the Noosa River goes ahead does Noosa
            Council know if the state government allow residents to have their dogs on leash
            each time it goes below the high tide mark and swimming in the Noosa River?
            Response provided by Director Development & Regulation Richard
            MacGillivray
            Advice from the State Department of Environment, Science and Innovation
            website states that dogs and other pets are welcome in some conservation parks,
            State forests and recreation areas, but not in national parks. As no decision has