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4:32AM Tuesday 02 December, 2008

Graffiti not welcome

23 September 2008

| By Grant Reynolds

It’s just not cricket.

Doonan residents have spoken out against an act of vandalism aimed at the developers of the Doonan Hotel and Brewhouse on the site of the former Waldschloss German Restaurant. The pointed message, in bright red spray paint is clear: “Stay out of Doonan”.

Residents have written to Noosa News expressing disgust at the act, with a number of letters supporting the development.

Developer Robert Comiskey said the sign had been up one day before it was defaced.

He said opposers were in the minority compared to the letters and emails of support he said he’d received.

“The support we’ve got is overwhelming,” he said.

“We did a mail-out and almost every business in the area has given us their support.”

The developers met with residents at the site on Saturday to discuss their plans as Mr Comiskey said a great deal of misinformation had been circulated, and he rejected notions of an influx of anti-social behaviour in the rural neighbourhood.

He said about 150 people stopped by to ask questions and look over plans, and he said the response was “overwhelmingly positive”.

Mr Comiskey cited the nearby village of Eumundi as an example of a community where a brewery had contributed positively to its social fabric. Without any major hurdles, he hoped to begin construction early next year.

Mr Comiskey is no stranger to developments that raise the hackles of locals.

 The group’s Tadpoles childcare centre at Sunshine Beach finally got the go-ahead after a court action was won, with the slab to be poured next week.

Mr Comiskey said the childcare centre enrolment is 60% full.

The group behind Tadpoles Early Learning Centres, Comiskey Management Services, has lodged an application under the name Marcoola Custodians to develop a hotel at the Beddington Road site, which includes a restaurant, micro brewery, drive-in bottle shop, dining area, office and amenities.

The developer’s plans include a three-storey building which will cater for up to 140 people, with 91 car parks on an area between 700 and 800sq m.

Recent Comments

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Posted by Wellos from Tinbeerwah
on 23 September, 2008 at 7:46 a.m. ( Suggest removal )
Why do folks want a pub on their doorstep? I can understand that local businesses think it will bring more passing trade. The argument that Doonan needs a "focal point" is absurd. Does nearby Tinbeerwah need a focal point to exist? Should every rural locale have a pub in the middle of it? Turning the hinterland into a suburban/urban environment defeats its very charm.

You can not have a pub without some degree of occasional anti-social behaviour. That's a simple fact. Alcohol fuels violence and recklessness. The region is seriously understaffed with police, and there is no police station within cooee of the proposed development.

There is no public transport at Doonan. That forces drinkers to use their own vehicles. The suggestion that there will be a courtesy bus available is laughable. It won't be available whenever the demand is there, and it won't stop alcohol-related vehicle accidents.

The Comiskey's said they letter dropped neighbours, but many of the close neighbours I spoke to weren't included in the mail out. I wonder why?

If folks want to live near a pub, why live in the hinterland?

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