Managing issues on community leased and licensed premises

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) is a serious pest in Queensland.

Even if your premises is not in a restricted fire ant area, you need to be aware of the risk of fire ants.

Under the Biosecurity Act 2014, everyone, including individuals and organisations, has a general biosecurity obligation to take all reasonable steps to prevent the spread of fire ants.

View the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) website, to find out about fire ant biosecurity zones and your obligations to prevent the spread of fire ants. 

If your property is in a restricted fire ant area, your organisation needs to be aware of the DAF movement controls for high-risk materials, particularly soil.

If you believe there are fire ants at your leased or licensed premises, phone DAF on 13 25 23 to inspect your property and carry out a free treatment (if required). You also need to notify Council by phone on 07 3403 8888.

Council encourages you to remove any graffiti from leased/licensed premises as quickly as possible. Read about support for community groups and businesses, including rapid removal and how to access a free graffiti removal kit.

Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 to report graffiti. 

You can also request Council's Graffiti team come to your premises to assess your site and provide further advice on measures you can take to prevent it reoccurring.

If you are planning to alter, or add on to, your leased building, think about how to 'graffiti proof' it. Where appropriate, Council recommends external buildings are painted using Council standard colours to suit the local environment. This would enable Council to match paint colours in the event of graffiti or other vandalism occurring at the site.

If you see graffiti happening, or know someone involved in graffiti, phone the Crime Stoppers hotline on 1800 333 000 or report it online.

Murals and legal art

Replacing otherwise continuous, blank surfaces with murals and legal art can reduce the risk of illegal graffiti. Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 to obtain advice on mural installations where appropriate.

As a community facility tenant, if you're looking to install a mural on your premises, you will still need to obtain approval from Council, as landlord, through the application for works process prior to undertaking such works.

Find out more about community art projects and partnerships.

If you experience issues with vehicles being parked within your leased/licensed premises (e.g. commuter, resident, or commercial parking or an abandoned vehicle), phone Council on 07 3403 8888 to report it.

Illegal dumping is the unlawful deposit of any type of waste material that is 200 litres or more in volume. 

If you experience illegal dumping on your leased or licensed premises, you should report it.

When building infrastructure and conducting activities at your leased/licensed premises, it is important to be mindful of how lighting, particularly sports field lighting, may impact your neighbours.

If your neighbours lodge a complaint with Council about the level of light and glare coming from your premises, Council will investigate the complaint and consider a range of factors such as the amount of light, the duration and rate of emission, positioning, and if measures have been taken to reduce the impact of light spill on neighbours. If the level of light and glare is considered unacceptable, you may be required to rectify the issue.

You should ensure that any floodlights and/or sports field lighting on your premises are managed and designed in such a way that lighting does not impact neighbours. All lighting infrastructure is required to meet Australian Standards and building codes and requires Council approval, as landlord, and any other relevant Council approvals, such as building approval, prior to installation.

Subscribing to good neighbour practices is a requirement of all community facility tenure arrangements with Council (see tenure obligations and responsibilities for more information about good neighbour practices and how to deal with neighbour complaints).

Visit our Light and glare page to find more information on how to reduce light and glare on your premises.

When conducting activities within your leased/licensed premises, you must ensure you responsibly manage the noise levels you emit and only operate within your permitted hours of use as detailed in your lease/licence agreement.

If your neighbours lodge a complaint with Council about the level of noise coming from your leased/licensed premises, we will investigate the complaint and consider a range of factors such as decibel levels, duration, and timing in relation to your permitted hours of use. If the level of noise is considered unacceptable, you may be required to rectify the issue. Depending on the issue, the complaint may be referred to another authority such as the Queensland Police or the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (if you have a liquor licence) to resolve.

The noise generated by activities conducted on your premises should be managed so they do not impact neighbours. Subscribing to good neighbour practices is a requirement of all community facility tenure arrangements with Council (see tenure obligations and responsibilities for more information about good neighbour practices and how to deal with neighbour complaints).

Visit our Acceptable noise levels and complaints page to find more information on acceptable noise levels.

If you notice any sharps (needles) being left in or around your leased/licensed premises, Council can help you manage this issue. Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 for assistance. 

Find out more about Council's safety initiatives.

If your premises is vandalised, you should contact the Police via Policelink on 131 444 to report it. If needed, contact your insurance provider to make a claim for damage/repairs.

If an incident occurs that is likely to result in an insurance claim, you should phone Council on 07 3403 8888, as soon as practicable, and keep Council fully informed of subsequent actions and developments concerning the claim.

If your organisation experiences ongoing issues with vandalism, consider these preventative measures:

• installing CCTV cameras and sensor lighting
• securing vulnerable assets
• modifying vegetation to improve sightlines
• improving casual surveillance
• modifying hours of operation
• redesigning access and redefining spaces
• effective use of plants and vegetation
• removing targets and potential weapons
• ensuring no natural ladders exist
• arranging formal surveillance.

For further advice about how to deal with ongoing vandalism and to organise a free assessment to determine measures to prevent vandalism, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.

If you experience any water leaks, blockages, or plumbing issues within your leased/licensed premises, it is your responsibility to engage an appropriately licensed plumber to identify and resolve the issue if it is within the lease/licence boundary. For a referral to a licensed plumber, you can phone the Master Plumber's Association of Queensland on 07 3273 0800 from 8am-5pm on weekdays.

Council is responsible for water leaks, blockages, or plumbing issues that occur outside the lease/licence boundary up to where the main supply (roadside) is provided by Urban Utilities. Phone Council on 07 3403 8888 to report a plumbing issue that is outside your lease/licence boundary and does not relate to the main supply.

Urban Utilities is responsible for rectifying any main supply (roadside) issues. Phone Urban Utilities on 13 23 64 to report a plumbing issue that has been identified as relating to the main supply.

Visit the Urban Utilities website 'detecting leaks' section for tips on how to detect a suspected leak.

Visit the Urban Utilities website 'low water pressure or flow' section for advice on what to do if you are experiencing low water pressure or flow.

Concealed leak financial assistance

As of 1 May 2019, Urban Utilities implemented a Concealed Leak Policy to provide financial assistance to eligible organisations such as not-for-profit organisations and registered charities to resolved concealed leak issues. The policy specifies further criteria such as timeframes for reporting the issue and responding to notifications of higher than usual water usage, as well as how to make an application for assistance via their online form.

If you suspect your premises has a concealed water leak issue, visit the Urban Utilities website to access more information. This includes information on how to identify and report a concealed leak, how to apply for financial assistance to resolve the issue, and specific exclusions that may apply.