‘No wonder there are so many empty shops in the main street and plazas’: Capricorn Coast business owner

A Capricorn Coast business owner has fired a verbal barb at the local council after the messy issue of infrastructure charges again reared its ugly head.

Vacant shop fronts in Yeppoon's main street on November 5, 2022.

A Capricorn Coast business owner has fired a verbal barb at the local council after it stood its ground on levied infrastructure charges.

“No wonder there are so many empty shops in the (Yeppoon) main street and plazas,” owner of Savannah Park Retreat Charles Rogers said.

Last month, Mr Rogers and his business partner Allyson Neave were dealt a blow when their long-running bid to have Livingstone Shire Council charges reduced to what they believed was a fair amount did not go in their favour.

It was three years ago that the retreat’s owners made their first deputation to the council, seeking $60,000-plus in infrastructure charges be reduced because they deemed that figure excessive.

Mr Rogers and Ms Neave championed for the original charges to be reduced to one third ($21,240) on the basis they were the third owners of the business and it was the previous owners who had not made Savannah Park Retreat compliant with council’s regime.

The site of Savannah Park Retreat at the Capricorn Coast. Source: Livingstone Shire Council documents.

But the council stood its ground on a 30 per cent discount on the original infrastructure charges sought - meaning the amount payable to it was $44,604 and Mr Rogers and Ms Neave were given two years to finalise that.

Mr Rogers watched the October meeting where the council finalised its decision online via livestream.

After that meeting he said he was disappointed with the decision and he was also disappointed with a number of aspects in relation to how the council handled the process.

Mr Rogers was also not happy with comments made by Cr Glenda Mather at the meeting where she said: “If this activity (tourism business) has been undergone in the last 20 years, I’d say that they’ve (owners) probably had a bonus already,” Cr Mather said.

“If my memory serves me correctly, they have a bitumen road to their door, already.

“And if these are new owners, I would strongly suggest they knew about the non-compliance before they bought into it, and they knew about the previous correspondence with the previous owners.

“So I don’t think they’ve gone in blindly.”

In response to that, Mr Rogers said the comment by Cr Mather about the bitumen road to the front gate was “speculative and hurtful”.

“That was funded by Roads to Recovery, well before we bought into the property,” Mr Rogers said.

“To assume we have made heaps out of the development already - with two years of Covid border shutdowns, hailstorm damage and high fuel costs for the travelling public? Yeah right.

“And to suggest we knew of prior discussions with the previous owners was also very speculative.”

A vacant shop front in the main street of Yeppoon on November 5, 2022.

Mr Rogers said he noted the fact the owners of the business had been using council infrastructure for the past 20 years, but what wasn’t asked by any councillor was the amount of tourism Savannah Park Retreat had brought into the region.

“As such, we offered to pay for a third of the charges being the third owners,” Mr Rogers said.

“This is a larger amount in today’s figures than what should have been levied in 2000.

“If you look at it, there should be a toll booth at the council border if every small developer has to pay for the trunk infrastructure, so the people that use the roads and don’t pay rates can be levied. Heard that argument before?

“We already pay for the trunk infrastructure by the fact we pay commercial rates on a rural property.

“We also offered to pay that amount, our suggested negotiated offer, off over two years, but now the final say, without negotiation, is double that amount. Ludicrous!”

A vacant shop front in Yeppoon's main street on November 5, 2022.

Mr Rogers said he was informed by a council staffer that whatever the council decided at the October meeting would be final and there would be no further discussion entered into.

“Add in the compliance costs, annual ongoing public liability insurance rises, where does the money come from?” Mr Rogers asked.

“Something must give.

“One of us must work full-time just to pay the current bills.

“No wonder there are so many empty shops in the (Yeppoon) main street and plazas.”

A vacant shop front in Yeppoon's main street on November 5, 2022.

So what now for Mr Rogers and Ms Neave?

“Who knows, we’re stuck in a vicious circle of trying to recover our costs, meet compliance with buildings, driveway, development application, pay council infrastructure charges and pay operating costs,” he said.

“And to keep smiling so our guests can enjoy their stay in this wonderful region.”