Community & Business
5 October, 2024
Clubbing at local ice-creamery
DESPITE 13 objections, and some councillor concerns, Mareeba Shire Council has approved a request by the Emerald Creek Ice-creamery to be given club status.
In a lengthy debate about the conditions for approval for the Material Change of Use, Cr Mary Graham said despite the checks and balances, she believed having a club open on Friday and Saturday nights would impact the amenity of neighbouring properties.
“I’ve lived in a rural area, and you can hear a couple of kilometres away at night,” she said.
“I also have concerns about operating a club in a rural area, I’m not convinced the quality and character of an area will not be compromised.”
The club status was requested by the owners of the popular ice-creamery and restaurant as a way to host bingo and poker nights.
Council was told the evenings would be contained inside the venue, and no amplified noise was to accompany the events. Only restaurant dining would be permitted outdoors.
The 13 objections submitted to council mostly focused on how potential evening and nighttime activity would impact on amenity, and increased safety risks associated with the additional traffic entering and exiting via the busy Kennedy Highway.
In response to questions from councillors, officers said cars would not be allowed to park on the Kennedy Highway road reserve; the onsite car park would be extended if capacity could not be met; and the highway entrance to the venue would be widened for easier entry and exit.
High fencing and vegetation buffers would be installed to ease noise, headlight intrusion into neighbouring properties, and dust drift. There had been no complaints of either dust or noise since the venue first opened.
The size of the venue would dictate the scale of events, as would safety regulation controls.
The Department of Main Roads and Transport had assessed the application and traffic conditions and had “no issue” with the change of use.
In a final nod to the approval, Mayor Angela Toppin said as it was a rural setting, the location could be a farm, with tractors, sprays, and such, and could impact even more on the local amenity.
The motion to approve the material change of use was carried with no dissenting votes.
