I believe Tweed Shire Council’s Jack Evans Boat Harbour AquaSplash and EOI process has been in contravention to correct government procedure and if all detail was made available and considered by an inquiry like in 2005 it would be found to be illegal.
When the three councillors voted to give AquaSplash a consent permit to Crown Lands, I can only assume they did so trusting the AquaSplash proponent’s word that he had a proper environmental consultant report.
This has since been shown to be untrue, he merely had a hastily prepared desktop letter of opinion which was misrepresented by calling it a report and indeed it was subsequently withdrawn by its author (Mrs Brodhurst).
In an effort to placate complaining residents, senior council staff stated that any applicants would have to do a DA and that would include an environmental impact assessment.
The resulting EOI document clearly contradicts this, it states that it is possible for council to provide a DA for the applicant or that even none might be needed at all.
The EOI documentation itself is in contravention of the current Management Plan and Land Use mapping DA guidelines and requirements.
This whole process has been a continuing deceit from the start when there was no timely community consultation. (Although an effort was made to make it appear that way, copying and forwarding a Chamber of Commerce letter with a missing attachment which supposedly was the Environmental ‘Report’).
There has been much widespread community comment overwhelmingly against the kind of disruptive, divisive and exclusive use proposed.
It even blocks the disabled use of the water when they come off the access ramp.
I urge you to contact your councillors to voice your opinion and ask them to reject these tenders for development on Jack Evans Boat Harbour.
John Mync, Tweed Heads
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