December 14, 2015
The South Burnett Regional Council has agreed to extend an approval for a 168 lot residential subdivision at Taylors Road in Kingaroy for a further four years.
The application was lodged by Sunnyvale Alliance Pty Ltd, whose current development approval lapsed on August 1.
The company said recent low land sales volumes and gross realisations had a negative impact on their ability to create new lots.
The company also said they wanted to change the existing approval to reflect the amount of time that had passed since the original approval was granted by the former Kingaroy Shire Council in 2006, increased traffic flows in the area, and increased costs.
But there were no changes to the subdivision’s proposed layout or master plan.
Council officers recommended the extension be granted for a further four years to August 1, 2019, subject to 58 conditions which bring the original approval into line with current construction standards for infrastructure, roads and footpaths.
Other amendments ensure that when contributions are paid by the company, they are paid at whatever current contribution rate applies.
Councillors approved the application unanimously.
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At the same meeting, Councillors were asked to change an existing approval for a small subdivision at 155 Boat Mountain Road in Murgon.
Applicant B. Braithwaite had originally gained approval for 31 rural residential lots in July 2005 from the former Murgon Shire Council, and was granted a four year extension by the SBRC in May 2009.
In June 2013, the approval was given a further four year extension but the subdivision’s layout was reduced from 31 to nine rural residential lots.
Councillors heard the applicant now wanted to change the configuration of the lots.
Council officers recommended the application be approved subject to a range of conditions which brought the original approval into line with current standards.
Councillors agreed.
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The South Burnett Regional Council has adopted two registers of pre-qualified suppliers.
One register is for suppliers of plant and equipment hire, and the second is for the supply of trade and general services.
The Council will use the registers for two years from December 15, 2015, to December 14, 2017, to source quotes when it needs to hire plant and equipment or buy services to carry out day-to-day operations.
The Council adopted the registers at last week’s Council meeting.
Under the SBRC’s “Buy Local” policy, both registers are strongly weighted towards South Burnett suppliers.
But they do include some non-local firms where a particular service isn’t available locally, or where local firms who provide a particular service didn’t apply to be included.
The Council updates its pre-qualified supplier registers every two years.
Applications to be listed on the registers are usually advertised about six months before the closing date.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Councillors were told that some providers who were listed in the latest registers had met Council’s selection criteria but had yet to supply all the required documentation.
Those firms would be given until February 28 to submit their documentation and could be removed from the register if they failed to do so.
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The SBRC has awarded Supervision Duties Contracts for the Kingaroy, Blackbutt and Wattlecamp Waste Facilities after calling for tenders last month.
The Kingaroy Waste Facility will be supervised by South Burnett Security and Traffic Control; Wattlecamp by Mr Robert Brown; and the Blackbutt-Benarkin Waste Facility by Mr Fred Abbott.
Council officers had recommended the Blackbutt contract be awarded to SB Waste Management Pty Ltd, but Councillors chose Mr Abbott instead.
They said this was because he was the existing contractor for the facility and had submitted the cheapest offer.
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In the last few weeks Council officers undertook two pre-purchase property pest inspections for people considering purchasing rural properties in the region.
Cr Kathy Duff told Wednesday’s Council meeting the Council offered this service for a fee.
It gives prospective buyers an understanding of the types of weeds and feral animals present in the area, along with advice about control options and any assistance programs available.
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Meanwhile, the Council’s never-ending weed management program is continuing.
Cr Duff said lantana control is currently underway at Boat Mountain, but will move to Proston in the near future.
A street spraying program in the region’s urban areas has also been completed, and groundsel inspections have been undertaken at Wattlecamp, Ironpot, Mannuem, Benair, Wattlegrove and Inverlaw.
Any groundsel found on Council land will be treated.
Honey Locust inspections were also carried out on the Stuart River in partnership with Biosecurity Queensland.
A Quick Spray Trailer is currently in use at Durong, treating lantana and Mother of Millions.
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Council waived $2322 in fees at its most recent meeting.
The Maidenwell Community Group was relieved of a $1200 Building Application Fee relating to its proposal to build a new 66 sq m shed at the Maidenwell Sports Grounds.
The non-profit group, who have an informal arrangement with the Council to manage and maintain the Sportsgrounds, will use the new facility to support a community garden, as well as encourage workshops and activities in the town, such as a Men’s Shed group.
The council will, however, retain the $168 document lodgement fee required for a Building Work application.
In Nanango, the South Burnett Western Performance Club will be reimbursed an $1122 Plumbing Application Fee associated with the group’s construction of an amenities block at their club grounds in Racecourse Road.
Both decisions are in line with the Council’s policy of waiving fees when non-profit community groups build infrastructure.
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Council amended its Procurement Policy, which governs the way staff make purchases of goods and services, at Wednesday’s meeting.
In future, purchases:
- Up to $50 can be made out of petty cash using standard procedures
- Over $50 and up to $10,000 can be made by assessing the pre-qualified supplier register or by selecting one supplier that meets the requirements and obtaining one verbal quote
- Over $10,000 and up to $30,000 can be made by assessing the pre-qualified supplier register or by inviting at least three written quotes
- Over $10,000 and up to $200,000 must be made by inviting at least three written quotes
- $200,000 and above will require a tender to be issued
In all cases except for tenders (where the Local Government Regulations 2012 determine the rules that apply), staff will be encouraged to obtain quotations from South Burnett businesses first.
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An increase in the number of unregistered dogs in the South Burnett will be tackled.
On Wednesday the Council approved a Systematic Inspection Program which will run from 9:00am to 5:00pm weekdays from Monday, January 4 to Monday, July 4.
While current workloads prevent existing Council staff conducting house to house inspections, the Council propose to employ a temporary officer for three months during the program to do so.
Queensland’s Animal Management legislation requires all dogs over the age of 12 weeks to be registered with the local council.
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A proposal to rename the Stuart River Bridge to Eric Keys Bridge has won support from the South Burnett Regional Council.
The bridge, located on the Proston-Boondooma Road near Proston, is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Transport and Main Roads.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Councillors heard a letter had been received asking for the SBRC’s support in having the bridge renamed to honour a former Wondai Shire councillor who had served the Proston community for many years.
Councillors voted to send a letter of support to TMR.
