Further submission from applicant 13.10.2023

Attached for your reference are letters of support from: Tourism Noosa; Noosa Chamber of Commerce and
Industry; and StarCo Developments Pty Ltd (Alan Starkey) that emphasise the need for the hotel and urge
Council to approve the development application. The letters are support for the hotel and urge approval of
our development proposal.


Submitters


Another ground for refusal is that many valid planning grounds were raised by submitters and the proposal
represents an unacceptable level of impact on the amenity of the locality. The development proposal was
modified in response to some of the submitters’ concerns. Council staff have assessed the valid planning
concerns in their report and recommended the development application be approved. The planning concerns
raised by the submitters have therefore been either addressed by changes to the development or are largely
irrelevant and unjustified. There are no valid reasons arising from the submissions to refuse the development.


If you have been influenced by the number of formal submissions (400+) we note:
•   The vast majority of submissions were a pro forma submission that was prepared by a group of dissenters,
    signatures solicited and then hand delivered in bulk to Council. You should have little regard to the
    number of submissions in those circumstances.
•   Since then, changes have been made to the development proposal that satisfy most of the concerns raised
    by submitters.
•   The small number of those who coordinated the submission campaign informed us that they represent a
    large proportion of the Noosa Springs residents. That is not true.

To test current thinking, we conducted a formal survey of more than 260 residents and members over recent
weeks. Attached for completeness is a copy of the email we sent to you yesterday, which shows Noosa Springs
members and residents overwhelmingly support the hotel. More than 70% express either full support, or
neutral, to the proposed hotel going ahead and anecdotal evidence is that some are unhappy that Councillors
may disregard the recommendations of Councils’ own staff and experts. Another conclusion that can be
drawn from the survey is that only about 19% of respondents did not want the hotel and would not change
their mind.


Conclusion


We remain firmly of the view that the proposed development complies with the planning scheme and should
be approved subject to reasonable and relevant conditions. In good faith, we have invested considerable time,
effort and resources seeking Council’s approval for the development. It would be extremely disappointing if
the Planning and Environment Court is needed to make the decision on this matter, especially when the
proposal complies with the planning scheme and is supported by such compelling reasons. Subject to various
factors, we are informed the cost to the ratepayers of Noosa to defend a Council decision to refuse the
application may be up to $1M.


Accordingly, we urge you to reconsider your position and adopt the recommendation of Councils staff and
experts to approve the hotel development. We remain optimistic about the prospects of creating an
exceptional resort experience by adding the proposed 5-star, luxury boutique hotel to Noosa Springs.



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