THE Coochiemudlo Island Men’s Shed is being silenced by local zoning laws that forbid the use of power tools.
For four years, president Geoff Buchus has fought tirelessly to have the rules relaxed, but to no avail.
“We’re the only Men’s Shed in Australia that can’t use a drill or a chisel,” he said.
“I tell people we’re a coffee club.
“We sit around all day drinking coffee.
“We’re exhausted finding things NOT to do.”
Mr Buchus claims the crux of the issue is a noise restriction that limits decibel levels to just 35 dB – far too low for power tools to operate.
The noise level of a drill typically ranges from 85 to 100 decibels.
Mr Buchus said Redland City Council had remained steadfast in its refusal.
“We’re only open three days a week from 9.30am to 12pm,” he said.
“We’ve asked for a trial period for a month, but the council flatly refused.”
The nearby Bay Islands Men’s Shed on Macleay Island, established in 2010, operates without noise restrictions.
The Shed operates a courtesy arrangement with its neighbours.
The Queensland Men’s Shed Association urged Redland City Council to show some flexibility and reconsider its approach.
“The council has imposed an unrealistic standard, one that is routinely breached on Coochiemudlo Island whenever a lawnmower or leaf blower is used on the island – including by the council itself,” regional coordinator Frank Pearce said. “We are deeply disappointed that Coochiemudlo Men’s Shed has not even been granted the opportunity to trial low-noise power tool activities within a restricted time window to assess their actual impact on the neighbourhood.
“The very essence of a Men’s Shed is to bring men together to work ‘shoulder to shoulder’ on meaningful projects –benefiting both individuals and the community.”
Cr Lance Hewlett, the island councillor, sympathised with the Coochie Shed’s plight but defended the council’s stance, citing zoning laws as the reason behind the sound limits.
“This is because the land zoning does not allow noise levels over a certain decibel,” he said.
“This was made known to the Men’s Shed before the lease was signed.”
But Mr Buchus insists they had no choice when signing the lease, feeling pressured to accept.
“We were given a choice – agree to the lease or no shed,” he said.
A Redland City Council spokesperson said the Men’s Shed Development Application required it to meet benchmarks to minimise impacts from noise.
The policy, which applies across Queensland, identifies an objective to achieve an acoustic environment inside a residential dwelling of 35 dB during daytime and evening hours.
“The applicant’s own acoustic report identified that the use of power tools and the hammering of wood chisels in the Men’s Shed would result in this acoustic environment being exceeded inside neighbouring residences, the nearest of which are located about 40 metres from the Men’s Shed,” the spokesperson said.
“To manage this, council imposed a condition within the Development Application that restricted the use of power tools.
“The Men’s Shed can formally apply for a change request to the current approval and provide an updated acoustic report demonstrating how activities could meet required noise limits and not impact the surrounding residential neighbourhood.”
