Lockyer Valley council wrap: Key moments from June 2023 meeting in Gatton

One of southern Queensland’s top wedding venues has been approved for its latest venture, with a bizarre condition attached. Read more in our Lockyer Valley council wrap:

Commercial precincts, wedding short-stays, community housing and controversial funding boundaries were among the major topics that dominated the Lockyer Valley Regional Council’s June meeting in Gatton.

Here are the highlights from Wednesday’s meeting:

Six former community housing dwellings on North Street in Gatton.

Mayor slams ‘absolute madness’ over community housing refusal

Lockyer Valley mayor Tanya Milligan has taken aim at the state government after it refused to take control of six social housing units during the region’s growing housing and homelessness crisis.

Councillors voted at Wednesday’s meeting to again ask the Department of Housing and Public Works to take control of the units on North Street in Gatton.

The six dwellings on 3500 sqm of land had been used previously as federally-funded, council-controlled social housing until the National Regulatory System for Community Housing was introduced, after which the LVRC withdrew from the system.

In her report, property officer Julie Lyons wrote the department had offered to take control of both North Street and housing on Cochrane Street in Gatton, only to decide against the former asset.

“The following options (include exploring as option one) the state’s appetite to revisit their position on accepting trusteeship of the land in light of the current housing crisis (and option two), surrender trusteeship of the land and return the and to the State of Queensland,” Ms Lyons wrote.

It is recommended that option one be adopted (but) failing a successful outcome of Option one, it is recommended that option two be adopted.”

The refusal earned the ire of Ms Milligan, who pointed to the growing number of people visibly sleeping rough across the region.

“Surely these have got to be better than people sleeping in a tent or in their cars,” she said.

“It seems like absolute madness that we’re squabbling over what to do with these.”

Deputy mayor Jason Cook agreed, saying he would inspect the units personally.

“There is a person with a car in a tent camped under the veranda of the senior citizens hall and as you drive past it, there’s another person camped (not far),” he said.

“The state is saying they’re not fit, but they’re happy with people sleeping in tents.

“I understand safety, but surely they’re safer in one of these places than in a tent.”

Preston Peak Winery has been approved to use a property on Elliot Close in Preston as a short-stay, but they can't land helicopters on it.

Helicopter condition attached to wedding venue’s Airbnb project

One of southern Queensland’s top wedding venues has been given the green light to use a rural property as a short-stay for guests, in a development approval banning helicopters from landing on the site.

Preston Peak Winery’s DA for a “motel” on Elliot Close in Preston was approved by the Lockyer Valley Regional Council at Wednesday’s meeting.

The proposal, which is only classed as a motel due to the council’s outdated planning scheme, would allow the winery to host guests of weddings and other functions at the property in an Airbnb/short stay arrangement.

Council’s contract planner Scott Hambleton revealed in both his report and the meeting the property had already been used as a short stay for some time until the council received complaints from neighbours, prompting the submission.

Preston Peak Wines, Queensland Image Supplied escape 17 October 2021 top gear

“The accommodation will sleep a maximum of 10 people, and will be rented out a maximum of 170 nights per year, which is less than half of the year,” he wrote.

The application attracted six submissions against it, with residents taking issue with visitor behaviour, hooning and even that guests had landed on the site via helicopter.

Helicopter landings are popular enough in Australia that a number of companies offer the service.

“Nearby residents have complained about guests arriving by helicopter that lands on a nearby vacant lot,” Mr Hambleton wrote.

“It is recommended that a condition be imposed on any approval prohibiting guests arriving to the site by helicopter.”

Acting community and regional prosperity group manager Annette Doherty noted contravention of any condition could lead to fines of up to $15,000.

While they voted in favour of the application, deputy mayor Jason Cook and councillor Chris Wilson questioned how noncompliance would be policed by the council.

Preston Peak Winery director Rick Osborne was contacted for comment.

An aerial view of the Lockyer Valley. Photo Contributed

Council to ask for third-straight revaluation

The Lockyer Valley Regional Council will attempt to get an unprecedented third-straight revaluation of residents’ properties – but councillors aren’t holding their breaths.

The board voted at Wednesday’s meeting for CEO Ian Church to ask the Valuer-General to revalue the Lockyer Valley for 2024, in a bid to “avoid shock increases and decreases” during a fluctuating property market.

If successful, it would be the fifth time the local government area has been revalued since 2016.

The the latest revaluation, effective from June 30, saw a 30 per cent increase from the year prior, with the council hoping a third next year would reflect the slower sales activity of late.

“This can be seen in the number of rates search requests received by council; this isn’t a precise measure of sales activity however there is typically a very strong correlation,” the council report said.

But contract accountant Scott Norman said he had never seen a region secure three straight evaluations, calling even two straight “very unusual”.

Councillor Chris Wilson questioned whether a third request would be beneficial.

“While property sales have slowed, I think pricing has stayed the same — we’re extremely unlikely to get a valuation, so if we wait does that mean we’re more likely to get one later?” he said.

“I wouldn’t expect a huge change.”

Mayor Tanya Milligan said she and the CEO had been lobbying hard for more consistent valuations, noting it could be raised at the upcoming Local Government Association of Queensland conference in Gladstone.

Councillors fume over federal government funding boundaries

Half of the Lockyer Valley, including booming communities like Plainland Crossing and Hatton Vale, could be cut off from a piece of $600m in federal funding due to “poor” mapping that cuts the region in half.

The council will write to Regional Development and Local Government Minister Catherine King, urging her to fix the boundaries dictating eligible areas for the government’s new Growing Regions program.

The criteria is based on land outside the Greater Capital City statistical areas, which includes only the western half of the Lockyer Valley.

The Lockyer Valley region, with the Greater Brisbane statistical boundary running through it.

Towns like Laidley, Plainland and Forest Hill are instead included in the Greater Brisbane statistical area and would be instead eligible for the Thriving Suburbs program.

But advocacy senior advisor Stephen Hart said such an arrangement would leave eastern Lockyer Valley disadvantaged when vying for competitive funding against larger urban areas.

“This is administratively disorganised and ineffective for our region in terms of the stated program objectives,” he wrote in his report.

“A preferred outcome would be an effective, equitable and consistent program that would apply to all regional areas.”

Councillor Janice Holstein agreed with Mr Hart’s assessment, calling the plan to exclude half the Lockyer Valley from regional funding “madness”.

“It does seem somewhat crazy, someone in a big city drawing lines on a map,” she said.

“We had written to the minister about this and we described it as ‘madness’.

“It doesn’t make any sense and hopefully they may look at changes — if not, we’ll have to work with what’s set out.”

Plans have been lodged for a new mixed-use commercial precinct on the Warrego Highway at Plainland Crossing in the Lockyer Valley.

Mixed-use commercial precinct approved by council

A new commercial precinct featuring bulky retail and car repairs has been approved in one of the Lockyer Valley’s fastest-growing communities.

Applicants Drivas Lakes Pty Ltd and Kokoris Investments Pty Ltd were give the green light by the council at Wednesday’s meeting to create the new precinct on a large vacant parcel between Echidna Place and the Warrego Highway in Plainland Crossing.

According to the report by Precinct Urban Planning’s James Williams, the application includes plans for a 2000 sqm bulk retail and car repair station on the 2.1-hectare subject site.

“The proposed (car repair) building will have a maximum height of 6.05m above natural ground level to ensure consistency with other proposed buildings and similar development within the Plainland area,” the report said.

More than 50 car parks will be built with the development.

The development was approved unanimously.