A popular Australian tourist destination has become a battleground as agitated locals argue over a proposal to let bars and restaurants open until midnight.
A heated debate has erupted around the Noosa Junction Hospitality Precinct in Noosa Heads, a picturesque coastal town in south-east Queensland.
Noosa Junction is a short walk up Noosa Hill from Hastings Street and features bars, restaurants, coffee shops, night markets and fashion boutiques.
Venues in ‘The Junga’, as it is known in the area, offer local bands, DJs, karaoke and open mic nights and attract locals and tourists alike.
Noosa Shire Council has received submissions from local residents in response to their proposed changes to the 2020 planning plan, which could see trading hours extended until midnight seven days a week.
The proposed changes have divided the close-knit community, with two opposing petitions raising concerns about the measure.
Some locals are fully in favor of encouraging more nightlife in Noosa Junction, while others fear Noosa’s laid-back charm will be destroyed.
A letterbox campaign and petition are encouraging residents to raise their concerns with Noosa Shire Council.
Agitated locals in Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast (pictured) disagree over whether bars and restaurants in Noosa Junction should be allowed to stay open until midnight
Some residents claim that by extending opening hours, Noosa Junction will become a ‘seven-day entertainment district’ with increased noise and traffic
The petition to prevent Noosa Junction from becoming a ‘seven-day entertainment district’ has been launched in response to the proposed changes.
Locals behind the campaign have raised concerns that ‘no impact assessments have been carried out’ and that there will be ‘unintended outcomes’.
These include noise pollution, pollution caused by increasing traffic and various safety and crime issues related to drugs and alcohol.
The petition claims no community consultation has taken place and there is ‘uncertainty’ over music and entertainment facilities.
The petition’s author, Peter Stuehrenberg, said live and recorded music that exceeds maximum noise levels and time limits will become “unbearable” for residents.
“This is not just for us, but for the future generations who will call Noosa home,” he wrote of the campaign, which has just over 300 signatures at the time of writing.
In a statement to Daily Mail Australia, Mr Stuehrenberg wrote: “No resident is against entertainment.
‘However, if the associated noise or noise is so loud that it affects sleep, and continues every day until late at night, then this becomes a problem for everyone involved.
‘That’s why we need a consultative approach that will take time to get right for all stakeholders.’
Locals are at war over whether to allow bars and restaurants at Noosa Junction until midnight, with some residents concerned the coastal town could become an ‘entertainment hub’.
Noosa Shire (photo) is visited by more than two million tourists every year
The Noosa Junction Association (NJA) has hit back with its own petition; ‘Save our music. Save our nightlife. Don’t let the lights go out in Noosa Junction’.
The petition has so far generated more than 4,300 signatures.
The NJA said ‘The Junga’ targets a range of different groups including ‘young families, early diners, bar hoppers, backpackers and night owls’.
‘Live music is a big part of that offer; it is our beating heart. It supports our local night-time economy and local employment. It brings people of all ages together,” the report said.
NJA Marketing Manager Judi Lalor described the regulations surrounding music as ‘quite old-fashioned and draconian’.
Some locals say Noosa Junction has been an integral part of the community for decades, with live music being the ‘beating heart’ of the much-loved coastal town
“We think there is a compromise to allow live music in Noosa Junction, but also to work with our local community and our residents,” she said.
“So there could be a compromise where the decibel limit could be lifted a little bit or where they measure the decibel limit could be changed. But that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re saying there has to be music until midnight at all venues.”
Ms Lalor said the NJA is willing to work with the council to set what they believe is a more reasonable decibel level.
“We are on an urban street with transportation and the regulation for restaurants and small bars is 75 decibels,” she said.
So that’s really not feasible for any kind of music, even acoustic music with a guitar or something like that. 75 decibels is actually a conversation. Buses pass by louder.
“So we’re asking for some changes, some reasonable changes.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Noosa Shire Council for comment.