Petition launched as Cooroy cafe owner vows to fight for business
A battle is brewing between a Noosa hinterland cafe owner and the council after they were ordered to shut down the unique roadside vintage bus business or move on.
Sunshine Coast
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The owner of a Noosa hinterland cafe that has been ordered to shut down in less than three months or move on has vowed to fight for his business.
Busstop Espresso owner Rob Noy has launched a petition to save his cafe, which has been ordered to shut down on its current site or relocate, after Noosa Council decided against granting an operating permit at its recent Ordinary Meeting.
Mr Noy and his partner Beth lodged an application with council seeking retrospective approval to operate a food and drink outlet in association with a roadside stall at 201 Mary River Road, Cooroy.
The cafe sold a range of hot beverages, baked goods, as well as locally-sourced products out of a vintage bus parked on Mr and Mrs Noy’s rural property.
Mr and Mrs Noy also applied to expand the approved range of goods sold on site, expand the roadside stall building, provide seating for up to 12 people, as well as increase the onsite carparking to four spaces.
Noosa Council development and regulation director Richard MacGillivray said the application to include a coffee shop was inconsistent with the Noosa Plan 2020.
“The food and drink outlet component of the application was refused as it was contrary to the site’s rural zoning, and traffic and carparking impacts were not adequately addressed,” Mr MacGillivray said.
The council report also said the shop had an adverse impact on residents’ amenity “who bought into the area for a quiet, rural lifestyle”.
The report stated there were 148 signatures on a petition which requested council address problems caused by the business that had been allegedly operating without approval in a non-commercial zone.
In launching his own petition to save the cafe, Mr Noy slammed the reasons for the refusal put forward by council.
“They’re pretty soft excuses, I don’t agree with it, and we’re going to try and deal with it the best way we can,” Mr Noy said.
Mr Noy said there was an overwhelming outpouring of support for the cafe from the community.
“There has been a massive response from the public and the community, nobody is happy about it at all,” he said.
In a statement, council’s acting chief executive officer Larry Sengstock acknowledged the strong community connection to the cafe.
“This was a difficult and for some an unpopular decision, however council continues to have a consistent approach to adhering to its existing regulations in the planning scheme,” Mr Sengstock said.
“It’s been the main factor in helping make Noosa Shire what it is today and if we go outside the scheme, it can set a concerning precedent, no matter how popular an operation is with sections of the community.”
It’s understood that council will work with the applicant to look at options for an appropriate alternative site for the food and drink outlet, despite Mr Noy indicating his intentions to remain at the current site.
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