TAFE site purchase poses 'dilemma' for council

Noosa Council weighing up its TAFE site options before committing ratepayers' money

Tewantin TAFE. Picture: Warren Lynam

FORMAL debate on the possible purchase of the state-owned, abandoned Tewantin TAFE site has been uncharacteristically taken behind closed doors by Noosa councillors.

Councillor Frank Pardon was keen to discuss the valuation figures for the site - the council figure and the state's own ball park figure. This necessitated the confidential session so as not to prejudice the council's bargaining position.

But the matter was discussed informally on Friday at a special meeting, where Cr Pardon made it clear he thought this was an asset council needed to purchase

"I guess it's no secret I've been keen on the purchase of this site. I know there's a lot of negatives around it, cost, outgoings etc,” he said.

He said council has previously expressed an interest in purchasing the site some years ago, and he was looking at the land situation 20 years down the track when Noosa was home to another 8000 people.

"What it (the site) might morph into over time I don't know, but you can't go out on expressions of interest until you own it.

"I think people in 20 years' time might look back and say terrific.”

Councillors eventually voted with the staff recommendation to continue negotiations with the state over the offer to purchase.

Mayor Tony Wellington stressed that any recommendation to purchase would have to come back for councillors to vote on. He described this issue as a "dilemma” and a "very thorny problem we have before us”.

CEO Brett de Chastel agreed this was a "tricky” situation and challenging as to how the council should approach it.

The report before council highlighted a hefty cost to maintain the old campus buildings and raised the issue of possible rates increases to cover the costs.

Councillors on Friday struggled to find a desired overall use for this site that is zoned for community purposes, but Cr Pardon said at the very least the council could buy and land bank it.

"At least you've set something up for the future,” he said.

He believed rising land prices would cover the costs, but Mayor Tony Wellington was not quite convinced.

And Cr Joe Jurisevic said the community "would be screaming blue murder” if the council bought the site but did not put the buildings to good use. He believed one possibility for use might be an aged care school of excellence and another a regional art gallery.

"For four years the community has turned around and been up in arms with the fact that the state has got a vacant building there that isn't being utilised,” he said.

"There is no way on God's own earth that I would sit there and see that building sit there vacant and not being utilised.”

Cr Brian Stockwell said this is an "iconic piece of land” and from a strategic planning perspective "has to be for the community” to have use of and enjoy.

"What is the purpose of council owning it? To me it's protecting it for the community, so the highest and best use in the future can be realised,” he said.

Cr Stockwell believed the commercial use should be a secondary consideration, but the "harsh reality” is that "activating it in the short term is going to cost ratepayers money and none of us signed up for that”.

Cr Wellington added: "Simply buying it in the short term is going to cost ratepayers money”.

The mayor said Cr Stockwell was a self-described idealist.

"We have to be careful sometimes in whether ideals can actually marry with reality,” he said.

Cr Wellington said the ongoing costs to ratepayers would include depreciation and he was told by staff the ecological study of the site to discover the extent of the environmental values would be possibly $10,000-$15,000.

Deputy mayor Frank Wilkie said the detailed report highlighted the benefits, risks and liabilities of a council purchase, but the "flip-side” was it would be gaining a community asset that "has a lot of potential”.

"What that is we don't quite know yet,” he said.

Peter Gardiner