There were a lot of nervous people with bookings who we were advising to wait and see what the Premier decides, Ms Thompson said. She said the positive indications Ms Palaszczuk gave the day before lifting the three-day lockdown on Thursday was enough for their guests to hold their nerve and not cancel. For everybody it was a big relief, it was a relief for our (unit) owners, and our guests, Ms Thompson said. Noosa Main Beach has been attracting crowds over a soggy Easter holidays. Queenslanders did everything asked of them and came out in numbers to be tested, so I think we did dodge a bullet.
But the nearby property manager of Coral Beach Noosa Resort Finola Thompson, who formally objected to application, is not happy. Everything has been done the wrong way round, the focus should be on having professional operators who have a code of standards, who have response times, Ms Thompson said. How are council going to enforce the conditions, that s the main thing and how will they know whether it s being enforced on not? If you look at the design of that property that has just been approved it all opens out to the street so if that one is not properly managed that will disturb the whole street, she said.
Staff have set a limit of eight people staying in the four-bedroom home, owned by Maxwell and Elaine Keegan, as part of a raft of conditions. Councillors Karen Finzel and Tom Wegener have voiced reservations about the proliferation of short stays in the area in the wake of 18 local submissions objecting to the application and one in favour. Jeanette Gentle of nearby Laburnum Cres in her submission said Robert St, Janet St, Cloudsley St and her street made up one of the few places in Noosaville where predominantly houses are occupied by a permanent owner population . The site of the short-stay rental application.
“I think a lot of people have been quite conscious about supporting local business.
“Last year with all the fires people were really, really depressed whereas this year it seems like people are just really appreciative of the freedom we have here in Queensland.”
Noosa Holiday Accommodation Association chair Finola Thompson of the Coral Beach Noosa resort said Christmas bookings had stood up well despite a “huge amount of churn” forced by the greater Sydney travel restrictions.
“So far fingers crossed the bookings that we have had to cancel we’ve been able to sell them to Queenslanders,” Ms Thompson said.