Rooming accommodation – density by stealth

Development of rooming accommodation where multiple tenants lease rooms in a single building with shared facilities appears to be a growing problem in Redland City.

Rooming accommodation in Tascon Street, Ormiston provoked a recent community meeting attended by over 30 locals – an impressive roll-up for a small street.

Rooming accommodation has also been an issue in Capalaba and Thornlands.

It seems that rooming accommodation could appear anywhere, any time in the Redlands.

A concerned citizen discussed the Tascon Street rooming accommodation at Redlands2030’s public meeting last week. Here’s what he said.

Rooming accommodation in Tascon Street, Ormiston

Does 4 separate leases mean 4 dwellings?

Where once stood a proud family home, the building was demolished, the land properly re-configured and two dwellings were constructed. So far, all as it should be.  To my surprise four separate “For Lease” signs sprouted up (a bit like the weeds in the newly landscaped yards).

It seemed that the buildings were built in such a way to accommodate this number (pun intended).

Each had two front doors, two kitchens and even the backyards were split asunder. So now effectively we had four dwellings where once a proud family home stood.

They did not meet the standard of a duplex type building, and only have building approval for single dwellings. So is approving rooming accommodation just like the magic pudding…there always being room for more!

How can this be?  

I asked Council, they investigated and found that indeed the two dwellings could only be let as two, not four. Council asked the owners to show cause and prosecuted them through the courts.

Aah, quiet Tascon St was once more is as it should be. Although, during the quadruple occupancy it was a tricky time for other residents with up to ten vehicles trying to park where there is only room for four.

Our street became cluttered with vehicles. Access for large vehicles such and rubbish trucks, services trucks and heaven forbid any fire truck needed to weave through a chicane tighter than the pit-lane entrance at Bathurst.

The frequency of vehicle turn arounds at the end of the street more than doubled and the amenity of our sleepy Urban Residential street was lost.

Is Tascon Street the first of many more?

Now the two dwellings are the subject of an MCU for Rooming Accommodation. An undefined use in the draft Redland City Plan 2015. It is vaguely described along the lines of being akin to boarding house type, short term residences with shared facilities but separate rooms.

A person effectively leases a room for a set period. There is no overarching lease such as you would have in a normal rental home. Each dwelling could allow for a maximum of five tenants. So we now have the prospect of ten separate temporary leasees where once an individual household stood.

This small cul-de-sac is not adjacent to transport, social or commercial centres, hospitals, universities and the like. The only non-urban residential elements are aged care facilities, schools, day care and a church.

There have already been two similar applications to this one, one in Capalaba one in Thornlands. Both rejected by Council, one of which has subsequently attained a conditional approval via court appeal.

Unlike those where an existing building on a through road was renovated and repurposed with additional parking etc., the ones in my cul-de-sac it seems were purpose built to take advantage of any opportunity to multiply occupants, and in so doing maximising revenue.

I have heard that there are at least eight more across the city which are ready built and poised to go down the same path. So an approval here creates a precedent which could impact any one in Redlands.

Is this a blurring of the definition of Urban Residential? 

Medium Density by stealth

Is it a move to medium density living by stealth whilst only paying rates on a single dwelling and without the costs associated with commercial premises of fire walls, safety exits, signage and the like?

For those that say surely it is no different than a large family living in the house I contend that in such a case there is some commonalities of movement and usage. One goes shopping for many, meals are prepared for the whole, rather than one at a time, vehicle trips may be shared etc.

Unlike Rooming Accommodation, in the family home or house rental there is a single leasee or owner who is accountable for the property from boundary to boundary (not just a room) that can be asked to address any issues that arise.

Take a note of the reference number MCU17/0153 for those who want to check it out.   The application has been advertised and refers to Undefined Use – Rooming Accommodation and submissions can be lodged until 9 April 2018 (which includes the Easter period).

PD Online is challenging

So to the process. Learning PD Online and accessing the right information is a challenge.  Mainframe Databases favour the accomplished users, not the novice. A plea to the Council’s contact number first elicited a response encouraging self service on PD Online. After some persistence they acknowledged the document I was seeking (the application) was yet to be listed, that delay between actual notification and an appellant’s ability to review documents is frustrating.

Self educating on the ins and outs of planning schemes etc is challenging as is trying to find what to hang your hat on when an undefined use. There is only the requirement for Impact assessment, but impact on what and surely the impact of amenity etc is subjective at best.

People’s tolerance for noise, congestion etc varies.  We have received a lot of support from Councillor Tracey Huges, and when you find the right place to ask, Council staff are generous with their time.  So to wrap up the tale, yes this pudding has grown from one to two to four and now ten.

What next a pop-up café on the footpath?

I am hoping for a fairy tale ending to this story with Council rejecting the application and creating better clarity and definition to dissuade future inappropriate Rooming Accommodation development like this.

Please check this proposal out and make a submission outlining your concerns to Council before 9 April 2018.

A concerned citizen
Ormiston

Editor’s comment

The “infiltration” of rooming accommodation into the Redlands is at odds with the local planning scheme.

The community has not asked for this form of development to be allowed under the Redlands planning scheme  But the Courts are overturning the planning outcomes desired by the Redlands community by applying standards of Brisbane City.

Rooming accommodation can enable developers to reduce infrastructure charges, thereby freeloading on other ratepayers.

This a planning failure, and an area where the State Government needs to support the intent of local communities and local councils.

A number of our local Councillors have already expressed their concerns about Rooming Accommodation being “density by stealth”.

The Tascon Street proposal has been called in by Cr Tracey Huges so it will be considered at a general meeting of elected councillors.

Have your say on this rooming accommodation proposal by making a submission to MCU17/0153.  

 

Redlands2030 – 26 March 2018