Local developer won’t work with Toowoomba Regional Council again after red tape issues

A small local developer has taken an extraordinary step and vowed never to work with the Toowoomba Regional Council again. FIND OUT WHAT CAUSED THE RIFT HERE.

A Toowoomba developer has taken aim at the council over red tape.

A SMALL local developer has vowed not to work with the Toowoomba Regional Council again, after he said a simple subdivision became both frustrating and expensive due to red tape.

Michael Kynoch, who has worked on a few small developments in the Toowoomba region, said he had been left disenchanted by the local government process while trying to subdivide a residential lot on Gentle St in North Toowoomba.

The proposal, which involved creating a hatchet block at the back of the property and connecting services to it, was first proposed in mid-2017 and sealed three years later.

But Mr Kynoch, who spent about $120,000 on the development, said the process with the council was so laborious and confusing that he did not want to go through it again.

“My biggest issue was the red tape and the bureaucracy,” he said.

“Every time I tried to contact a TRC officer, I either got put on hold for 20 minutes, was told they were out of the office or had taken annual leave, then I had to wait for that specific person to answer my questions.”

Mr Kynoch said his experiences with the council had put him off considering further development.

“The process has become so hard that it doesn’t enable anyone with low capital to conduct these types of developments,” he said.

“It makes it tough for any mum and dad developer.

“I’d be happy to invest my money in projects that have nothing to do with the TRC.”

TRC planning and development portfolio leader Cr Bill Cahill said the council met its statutory timelines with the development, and that delays were with the applicant.

“The council works with applicants on an ongoing basis to ensure it can complete and process applications within the statutory time frame, while adhering to requirements set out in our planning scheme,” he said.

“While the application was completed well within the statutory time frame, the council was unable to process the application any sooner as it was waiting for the applicant to respond to further information which was required.

“When applications are lodged with the council, complying with the statutory requirements and addressing all relevant issues, the council endeavours to assess those applications promptly.

“The council strives to support economic prosperity of our region.”