20 C
Byron Shire
March 24, 2023

Match growth with jobs: Milne

Latest News

Rosebank’s Rainbow Temple referred to the Land & Environment Court

Lismore City Council say they have referred the Rainbow Temple in Rosebank to the Land & Environment Court after the owner repeatedly declined to submit a Development Application and associated documentation for the development.  

Other News

Homeless koala house hunting in Manly

As the trees continue to fall at the hands of the NSW government's Forestry Corporation in Yarret State Forest Blinky the koala has had to abandon his home.

NSW Greens MP defends Nats smear

NSW MP Tamara Smith (Greens) has defended a political post on Facebook by Nationals candidate Josh Booyens. Booyens claims Smith...

Swimming champs Sydney bound for finals

Congratulations to Wilsons Creek Public School students Ruby, Eddie, Goldie and Ayla, who have made it to the state swimming finals, to be held in Sydney at the end of the term. 

Ronald McDonald supports SSF and the Tweed Hospitals

Sustainable Australia Party (SAP) Ronald McDonald clarifies his position on State Significant Farmland and the Tweed Valley Hospital. However, President...

Green support SSF and free parking at Tweed Valley Hospital

Protecting State Significant Farmland (SSF) and committing to free parking at the new Tweed Valley Hospital are issues Green...

 Uki Refugee Project and Mt St Pat’s join forces for refugees

The Mount Saint Patrick College in Murwillumbah held an assembly of 850 students, teaching staff and members of the Uki Refugee Project to officially open their new sports house called Romero House – in honour of Saint Romero.

[author]Steve Spencer[/author]

Tweed Shire is in danger of becoming a massive housing estate of dormitory suburbs to service the Gold Coast.

That’s the warning by Greens Cr Katie Milne who says the spiralling cost of infrastructure is forcing council to dig financially deeper to keep up with population growth.

She says the escalating expenditure continues despite five years of hefty rate rises, which are part of the council’s seven-year plan to boost infrastructure.

And the growth in housing is not being matched by any growth in employment, she says.

‘We have all this population growth and a stagnant economy. We are in danger of just becoming a housing ghetto for the Gold Coast,’ Cr Milne said.

‘Some of the most environmentally sensitive areas of the shire are being threatened by this growth. Yet there has been no truly affordable housing being approved.

‘The state government should require more housing be matched with more jobs. The more roads you build the more it costs for maintenance. The more homes that are built the more water will be needed and the more dam infrastructure will be needed. It is becoming increasingly unsustainable.’

Cr Milne said debate was needed to discover what residents want the shire to look like in the future.

She said run-off the massive Area E housing estate at Terranora could eventually cause an environmental disaster in the Terranora Broadwater, yet there had been little done to protect the fragile ecosystem.

‘If we incorporated dual reticulation into these housing estates, a least we could help prevent the need for more massive water-catchment infrastructure like a new dam at Byrrill Creek.’

Cr Milne also pointed to the recent approval of a $22 million extension to Kirkwood Road at South Tweed Heads, which will consume much of the shire’s roadworks budget, as an example of the spiralling infrastructure burden on ratepayers.

‘If we slow the shire’s population we will slow this expenditure. At the moment it is like a cat chasing its tail.’

Mayor Barry Longland said the shire’s investment in infrastructure was mostly paid for by developer contributions.

‘Once these new shire residents buy a home they will be paying rates every year. It’s a one-off capital cost; this increases the rate base and helps council maintain services,’ Cr Longland said.

He suggested that one way to reduce infrastructure costs was by increasing housing density and height limits in older urbanised areas, like central Tweed Heads.

He said allowing more residents to plug into already existing infrastructure would save the council money and help concentrate residents in areas where services and public transport were already available.

‘Higher density housing in urbanised areas means there can be less urban sprawl elsewhere. The alternative is that housing estates spread across the shire.

‘The three-storey height limit used to be considered sacrosanct, but now I think an increase to four or five storeys may help protect our open space and rural lands.


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Solé’s on a mission to help local dingoes

A local advocate wants to tear down the myths about dingoes, and stop their treatment as wild dogs, which she says they are not.

‘After Disaster’ film and live concert, March 27 

Working with kids from both The Pocket Primary and Upper Main Arm Primary in the aftermath of the 2022 floods, Janet Swain saw a need to support these kids, many of whom had experienced the full force of the floods and landslips, not once, but twice. 

Adam’s second bite at the Lismore apple

The Greens candidate for the seat of Lismore, Adam Guise has run this race once before in 2015, where he gained a notable swing toward the Greens in the primary vote.

Brunswick Heads off-ramp blocked at Gulgan Road by rolled B-double – driver dies at scene

Live Traffic reports that the M1 Pacific Motorway at Gulgan Road off-ramp at Brunswick Heads has been blocked since 6.10am this morning by a crash involving a B-Double where there has been a person trapped.