When I woke up on Monday morning, I wasn’t planning for the week that has resulted. It has been exciting on the one hand having been involved in various projects for the future of Kawana and frustrating on the other as we have tried to work with the Sunshine Coast Council regarding the zoning of one our member’s business premises.

You will have no doubt seen the latter issue in the press this week. Sharny and Julius from Strip fit received a 28 day notice to leave their premises as the building is not zoned for the type of business that they provide (personal training). From numerous phone calls to various members of council, we determined that because a complaint was made, the council was forced to consider the zoning of the building and discovered that for this particular business, the building is not zoned for health and recreation. As a result, Stripfit either needs to apply for a development approval (change of zoning) or they need to find new premises. 

After various media reports this week (but a special thanks to Kawana Weekly for breaking the story), we (and Stripfit) have received a lot of support from the local community. In addition, we have commenced working with other community organisations to try and get a practical resolve, not only for Sharny and Julius but for all businesses operating in what is currently a very strict zoning situation.

The whole issue essentially comes back to the town plan. The current plan was put in place in 2004 and as all business owners know, business trends change over time. The new town plan will be released for comment in Winter this year and you can be rest assured that your Chamber will be a very active participant in discussions. We will endeavour to understand the implications for business and lobby where required to ensure more flexibility- especially for small business. The current development application process is expensive and time consuming - both of which are challenges to small business, so we will be working hard to try and have this process simplified so that the new town plan becomes flexible and progressive.

As a Chamber, these are the issues that we represent. Small business issues that affect not just one business but potentially many in our wonderful community. If you have issues- big or small, please feel free to contact us at any time, you might be surprised that it is not just affecting you, but many other businesses also.

On the other side of the coin this week has been the very exciting involvement in various projects around the health precinct- which Kawana will be smack bang in the middle of. The opportunities from this are HUGE! It is important to realise that these opportunities are not just for construction in the coming years but there are so many ancillary services that will be required. We want to ensure that our businesses are at the forefront of making the most of these opportunities so are currently working through how we can help you do this. Watch this space for more information over the coming months!

Finally I would like to thank Hazel, who has been doing work experience with the Chamber as she finished her final year at University. Hazel is now in full time employment so will be leaving us. Hazel has been an integral part of our events team and has been running our social media strategy. Hazel, you have done a wonderful job and I know I speak on behalf of all of the Executive council when I say you will be sorely missed.