Council red tape puts $400k development on hold

By Tim Howard

Local government red tape has put a $400,000 business investment which could create up to five jobs at risk says a group of people behind the proposal.
The Brewhouse Group said Clarence Valley Council’s conditional approval for a 24-hour car wash at the old Grafton brewery industrial complex in North St, Grafton, would make it “unfeasible”.

The owner of the complex, Rick Firth, said the project was on hold because council had slashed its operating hours and also refused to discount Section 64 developer fees.
Mr Firth said the development, which proposed a car wash, dry detailing bay and 2 vacuum bays at the North St site, was a state of the art system which recycled 85% of the water used.

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He said the system kept a lot of chemically contaminated run off out of the storm water system as well as reducing pressure on the sewerage system, which the council told him was close to its operating limits ahead of an upgrade in 2027.
Mr Firth said the extra tenement fee involved added up to $87,000, which he had discussed with the council’’s development management unit last year.

He said he proposed reducing the fees by about half, but this had been ignored during the council committee meetings and at the final meeting which approved the DA.
“There was no discussion at all about the fee reductions, all the councillors seem to worry about was operating hours,” he said.

Council staff said contribution rates for car washes (per lane) are included in Section 64 Guidelines, but a council resolution from June 2017 meant there was no scope for staff to reduce Section 64 contributions for “pro-active water management measures”.
Mr Firth said he was considering going ahead with the proposal but not installing the water recycling technology, which he said could cost as much as $1000 a month to run.
He said an operator he knew near Port Macquarie, had done this to save costs and was able to run the business successfully.

“It goes against what I believe to do things to help the environment,” he said. “But at the end of the day it has to be a feasible proposition to run.”
He said the reduced operating hours were not a deal breaker, but were difficult to understand in an area zoned as industrial.

“There are two other carwashes in Grafton, both operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and one is right next to a residential area which makes this recommendation very confusing,” Mr Firth said.
“We are an industrial complex and by default have a development that is already compliant, so don’t understand why we would be treated any differently to similar businesses that have approval to operate all day and night.
“Our carwash is brand new technology and much quieter than those already in operation and will employ up to five people, however we’ll find it difficult to go ahead with the proposed operating hours as it just won’t stack up financially.”
Mr Firth said the complex could employ two full time and one part time staff on the carwash and potentially a car full time and part time car detailer.

At its May 25 meeting most councillors supported limiting hours although not as limited as the council officers, who recommended 7am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 3pm Sunday.
Instead they went for 13 hours operation Monday to Saturday and 11 hours on Sunday. Councillors felt residents across the road from the proposed car wash needed breaks from the noise and traffic activity the business would generate.
Councillors voted unanimously to approve the DA amended to include reduced opening hours.