Formerly State Forest and now National Park, to give surety to organisations such as Pomona Men’s Shed who utilise one part of the property a small portion of land included the old Ranger’s House is in the process of being revocated from the National Park. We have requested clarification from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Partnerships (QPWS&P) on the timeline in regards to the old Ranger’s House and the revocation of land from National Parks. QPWS&P have provided the following information.
On 11 October 2021, Minister Scanlon approved ‘in principle’ the revocation of approximately 1.2ha from Tuchekoi National Park, to facilitate continued use of part of the area by the Men’s Shed Pomona (MSP). It is anticipated that this revocation will be tabled and debated in Parliament March 2022 and, if supported, would proceed to the Governor in Council in mid-2022.
The area would be managed as a Department of Environmental Services freehold tenure and the MSP will be issued with an appropriate authority to continue their existing use of the area. Once converted to DES freehold, the area will be subject to Noosa Council’s planning scheme. Therefore, DES intends engaging with Council in early 2022 to confirm acceptable use of the site including intensity and types of use, access and car parking requirements, etc.
A number of community groups including the Kabi Kabi First Nations People have expressed an interest in using the house for their activities. The Kabi Kabi First Nations People are an important partner for DES and QPWS&P are in negotiations toward an Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA). As part of the ILUA process, DES is likely to discuss Kabi Kabi’s interests in redundant assets prior to implementing any broad community expressions of interest (EOI) process to determine the best use of the old ranger’s house.