Community & Business
18 April, 2024
Delays To Allora Community Hall Re-Opening
A previous report from Southern Downs Regional Council (SDRC) about Allora’s Hall identified how the current wastewater is treated and disposed.
The wastewater from the hall is disposed of to a septic tank located in the footpath, with an absorption trench in the road reserve. This is neither legal nor ideal from an ongoing maintenance perspective.
Since that update, Council has worked closely with the contractor and Council’s Plumbing section to investigate possible solutions.
While looking to resolve this issue for the hall, further issues have also been identified.
The first issue relates to the Community Hall’s occupation limits. When looking at the auditorium’s floor area, it has been identified that the existing internal toilets don’t meet the needs of the National Construction Code (“NCC”) when it comes to the ratio of toilets required to maximise the building’s occupation. This leaves Council with one of two (2) options – either reduce the building’s capacity or find a solution to increase the toilet numbers to ensure they meet the needs of the building when at capacity.
The second issue that has been identified is the current state of the external toilets on Muir Street. The external toilets on Muir Street that are often used as overflow for the hall currently sit within the road reserve (including the holding tank). This is not ideal. In addition, the current holding tank servicing the Muir Street toilets is too small, meaning the system is being pumped out more regularly, which creates both an inconvenience to users and an increased maintenance cost to Council.
As a result, Council is currently investigating a solution to address both issues, with the intent to allow the hall to be used at capacity, whilst ensuring the community is provided with external public toilets that meet our community needs. The solution would also ensure that the septic system installed is designed to cater for these maximum population limits, reducing the number of times it would need to be pumped out.
The solution currently being investigated is to remove the old Muir Street toilets and relocate them (a new set of modern, compliant toilets) onto the land adjoining the Community Hall (placing them behind the hall). The proposal would allow a system to be installed that is modern, compliant, and accessible, ensuring it meets the community needs and the legislation that currently exists.
The other issue this helps to resolve is the Community Hall’s capacity, ensuring that sufficient facilities exist to cater for the needs of our community when this community hall is reopened and used at capacity.
While the Council appreciates this may mean a delay in the community hall’s re-opening, the solution being investigated will ensure that the hall being delivered back to the community can be maximised, whilst also providing the best possible outcome for our community.
The SDRC apologises for this continued inconvenience of the hall and external toilets being closed, however, it’s the Councils desire to ensure that this is done once and provides the best possible outcome.
