by Rowland Hill
We don’t know – because Noosa Council doesn’t publish updated figures on SSL registrations or applications. Such data is of high relevance to ratepayers and should be routinely updated.
On adoption of the SSL Local Law, Mayor Stewart said ‘with the local law the council is delivering’’ on calls from the community. But 18 months after the mayor’s claim what is the reality?
AEC Economics, commissioned to assess the law’s impact, found a 5.7 per cent increase between April 2020 and October 2022, from 4754 to 5,025 dwellings.
AEC also reported that in Low Density Residential zones SSL numbers increased by 12.1 per cent, from 846 to 5,025 dwellings – despite Council assurances when the Local Law was adopted that there would be no more approvals in the low-density zones. These zones were intended for family living in neighbourhoods but are now being converted to tourist zones with lucrative commercially available accommodation.
Is this the delivery rate payers expected?
What about applications and approvals? The SSL stakeholder review in February was told 2720 applications were received in the first 12 months. By May, responding to an inquiry, Council said applications had grown to 2901.
That means owners of 1853 properties advertised for SSL are still to apply.
Approvals grew from 1968 at the time of the stakeholder review to 2427 in May. But Council said that because of staff shortages it was unable to provide a breakdown of approvals in low, medium and high-density residential zones.
Because of staff shortages Council was unable to provide statistics related to compliance, such as the number of Show Cause notices issued.
What do Councillors think? It’s hard to know because with an election looming (in March 2024) they are steering clear of comment on controversial topics.
But at the March Council review of the SSL LL, Mayor Clare Stewart described it as a “huge and significant” step forward with Noosa Council the first in Queensland to adopt such a process.
Deputy Mayor Wilkie said the Local Law emerged from one of the Shire’s biggest and most controversial campaigns that split the tourism industry and community. “The tourism industry remains alive and well”, he noted.
Councillor Juresevic expressed concern that 1300 properties (at that time) operating as SSLs remained to be registered and wants an increased registration fee after July 1 for those that haven’t registered.
Councillor Lorentson – declaring she and her husband own an SSL property – did not take part in the discussion.
As a resident living with the deleterious effects of STA; I’d like to expand on the issues raised in this item. What worth is regulation without effective implementation or compliance? What was the plan for achieving compliance? It appears Council is intent on relying on complaints driven compliance, rather than proactive processes. The STA Unit is significantly understaffed and under-resourced. Why? STA levies generate ample funds which should be supporting a highly efficient, proactive administration.
I feel gaslit: my experiences of living with saturation level non-compliant STA, minimised and denied by Council’s overly positive Review of the Local Law. My experiences, like those of many residents; repeatedly, fruitlessly seeking compliance don’t rate a mention. Emails not acknowledged. Basic issues of…