Michelle Lynch, Kingscliff
There’s no doubt the Tweed valley needs a hospital capable of dealing with current and future demand.
Until 2017 the plan had always been to redevelop and expand the existing Tweed Hospital and maintain Murwillumbah.
In 2017 there was an about face on long term planning; not long after all members of the northern NSW health district board left or were sacked. A new board was appointed and without providing any feasibility study a decision was takento build on a greenfield site as opposed to the long term plan of development at the current site.
Attempts to gain access to documents regarding selection criteria and community consultation from the NSW government under freedom of information have proved futile. Losing the hospital in Tweed will have significant impact on that community.
The impacts of a large hospital on the communities of Cudgen, Kingscliff, Chinderah and Casuarina will be significant. ln a democratic society the decision to change long standing plans that will have significant effects on local communities should be transparent and inclusive. As yet the current decisions are neither.
Tweed hospital engineers and planners have 5 different options fully planned to expand the current site to cope with ALL population increases in the area it services. That is not only the northern rivers but much of the southern end of the Gold Coast. The Nats are continuing their policy of selling off public assets for private profits. The ALP have knee jerked having seen a window of opportunity to use the hospital as a thin edge of the development wedge to help Bob Ells (major party contributor) turn Tweed Coast into more Gold Coast. NONE OF IT IS NECESSARY. 30 yrs of planning for the current site is the only truly practical solution.