Residential height limits at Cobaki on the rise

A the Tweed Shire’s Ordinary Council Meeting Wednesday 12 December 2018, the issue of height limits at the Cobaki residential development was on the agenda.

In response to the proposed Comments to the Department of Planning & Environment re: the Cobaki Concept Plan Mod 8, which includes increased building heights, Cr Katie Milne proposed a motion against raising the limit from three storeys up to a possible 10.

Cr Milne said that the community’s vision is to be more low key and low scale than the Gold Coast, and they have strongly and consistently opposed Gold Coast style overdevelopment.

The motion was lost with Crs Byrnes, Owen,  Polglase and Allsop voting against.

An amended alternate motion passed

Instead an amended alternate motion was passed, including the following: if any height increases are contemplated for this development, a comprehensive Shire wide consultation and strategic planning reform process should be undertaken to provide evidence of community support and justification for increased height limits; that all buildings exceeding the current three storey height limit should be dedicated to social and affordable housing; that buildings exceeding the current three storey height limit should have increased sustainability requirements including providing for greater long term affordability through reduced energy, waste and water consumption operating costs; and that the visual impact of all buildings exceeding the current three storey height limit should be mitigated by comprehensive landscape design including maximum use of external ‘living’ plant walls and green living roofs.

Greens candidate Bill Fenelon says Labor cannot be trusted

The Tweed Greens are slamming the result saying that Labor Councillor Reece Byrnes voted with the National Party-aligned councillors to reject the motion..

Greens candidate for Tweed Bill Fenelon says that Labor cannot be trusted on high rise. ‘They support a 10 storey limit at Cobaki and want to build a nine storey hospital at Kings Forest. Will Kingscliff be next?’

Fenelon says that Mayor Milne’s motion states: ‘Council has a long held and widely supported planning regime that clearly articulates the communities’ preference for three storey height controls over the entire Shire, with the exception of Tweed Heads where high rise and high density has been accepted. These Shire-wide height controls have been through extensive and comprehensive approval processes and public exhibitions over many years that have consistently endorsed the current height limits and rejected any increases.

‘To arbitrarily inflict a more than 300% increase in storeys for this development would change the community’s vision of the Shire forever.’

Fenelon says that this could even be contemplated in such a superficial manner and with such minimal consultation highlights the brokenness of the NSW Government planning system and would be an utter betrayal of the whole Tweed community.

‘It would be a shocking legacy for the Coalition Government to blow up Tweed’s local planning controls, particularly so close to an election,’ he said.

‘I have had extensive conversations with people residing in Kingscliff and Tweed Heads. The message is loud and clear. People at Kingscliff don’t want their beachside amenity destroyed by high rise and Gold Coast style development. People at Tweed Heads don’t want to lose their hospital. The only party with a policy to keep high rise and the hospital in Tweed Heads is the Greens.’