The Barossa Council, South Australia, is working alongside Bed and Breakfast (B&B) providers to address confusion around approval requirements for visitor accommodation, in particular bed and breakfast operations.
Council has pledged to work with B&Bs and other small operators to ensure local visitor accommodation is meeting the expectations of visitors as well as safety and amenity standards.
In a move to improve the safety, accessibility and amenities of B&Bs, Council is encouraging owners and operators to make contact to find out more about the approval system.
Chief Executive Officer, Martin McCarthy, said B&Bs provide an essential service to the region with diverse accommodation and price points for visitors to the Barossa, and it’s important they meet relevant standards.
“Following relaxation of requirements by the State government several years ago, the increasing popularity of Airbnb and a growing range of other online booking platforms, we have seen a steady rise in accommodation providers coming into the market.
“While this is welcomed and has resulted in a wide selection of accommodation options for visitors to choose from, as a Council we need to ensure that they are operating compliantly and consistently meeting important health, planning and building regulations.
“Not all operations require development approval but importantly, where they do, we need to ensure they cater for the right number of people, provide the amenities required and meet important codes for health and safety that may apply.
“We urge operators who may be unsure about what is required for their business to get in touch with us so we can assist.”
He stressed Council wanted to work in partnership with B&B operators to get the best outcomes.
“This is not an attempt to make people jump through hoops or go through complex approval processes.
“We want to give them the right advice so we can be assured our accommodation venues across the board are providing visitors with the required level of facilities.”
