An artist’s impression of the proposed Chinderah Tavern redevelopment. Source Tweed Shire Council
Tweed Shire Council will next week consider a rescission motion on an approval granted earlier this month for a major redevelopment of the Chinderah Tavern site.
The move comes after independent councillor Ron Cooper backflipped on his decision to support the development at Council’s July 19 meeting
The approval was for a staged mixed-use development including a pub, restaurant, cafe, retail and commercial remises, community facilities, medical centre, indoor recreation facility and markets on Chinderah Bay Drive at Chinderah.
As part of the development, the existing tavern would be replaced by an imposing two-storey structure facing Mount Warning and a supermarket would be added to the mix.
It would see a substantial increase of the commercial footprint on the site.
Under the terms of ac the rescission motion, community consultation would be required before the development is reconsidered by the council.
It motion was lodged by Tweed mayor Katie Milne and Cr Chris Cherry, who had both voted against the proposal, along with Cr Cooper.
While Cr Cooper supported an amendment at last Thursday’s meeting that would have had the same effect as the rescission motion, when it did not get up he voted with the majority to approve the development.
Fourth supporter needed
While only three councillors are required to mount the rescission motion, a fourth supporter would be needed for it to pass.
The most likely candidate would be Labor’s Reece Byrnes, as the three remaining councillors (Warren Polglase, James Owen and Pryce Allsop) are all strongly pro-development.
But Cr Byrnes failed to support the proposal at the amendment stage last week.
Still Cr Milne is pressing ahead with the plan, saying she is hoping to get more feedback from the community on the development before giving it the green light.
‘It will be a significant development for Chinderah and it is important that we get it right,’ Cr Milne said.
If the approval is rescinded, the following Notice of Motion will be considered, put forward by Cr Cooper:
That Council invites by Australia Post, residents, businesses and where possible, absentee property owners of Chinderah to a round-table meeting to allow Council to gain a better understanding of the concerns arising from this development and to allow those supporting it to express their views. Appropriate planning/engineering staff to be in attendance to provide professional advice as required.
Echonetdaily contacted Cr Reece Byrnes for comment but none was received by deadline.
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It seems to me that three of the Councilors have learnt nothing from the fiasco of the Land and Environment Court appeal earlier this year in relation to the Hastings Pt waterslide DA.