It is one thing to be impacted by the floods and loseg your home it is another experience entirely trying to navigate the complexities of planning laws as you seek to rebuild and get your life back on track.
Recognising the challenges that many people, who are already in high-stress situations, are experiencing wrangling with the planning system Tweed Shire Council have decided to write to the NSW Premier Dominic Perrotett and the Minister for Planning and Homes Anthony Roberts to seek planning assistance for ‘people who have been displaced from the floods to get back into their homes’, said Councillor Rihannon Brinsmead (Liberal) who moved the motion.
‘Getting people back into their homes is imperative at this stage. We already have a dire housing crisis here in the Tweed Shire and I think having people displaced from their homes due to the floods only exacerbates that situation. I’m asking State government to assist people displaced from the floods with the cost of engaging a consultant town planner with their DAs.
‘Getting people back into their homes is imperative at this stage. We already have a dire housing crisis here in the Tweed Shire and I think having people displaced from their homes due to the floods only exacerbates that situation,’ she told the meeting.
‘I’m asking the State government to assist people displaced from the floods with the cost of engaging a consultant town planner with their DAs (development applications).’
Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry (Independent) supported the motion saying ‘It is a great sentiment. That is something that we are needing from the State government is help with these planning issues’.
Complicated and costly
‘It is very tricky for people to have their home destroyed by flood and then have to go through a DA application process when they may never have had to not done that before in their lives. People aren’t aware, and it is an incredibly complex system, and it is pretty much impossible to do without a planning consultant,’ she said.
‘And right at this time when people have lost everything, they can’t afford to pay a planning consultant even if they can get one in this economic boom. I think it would be incredible if we could get the State government to come to the party on this.’
DA crisis
‘I want to really strongly support it,’ said Councillor Dr Nola Firth (Greens).
‘It is supporting people who have lost their homes and it is also going to support staff with all the DAs coming in. We already know we have a DA crisis and to have preparation done by professional people and paid for by the state and not by the flood victims is a really good idea.’
The motion was seconded by Councillor James Owen (Liberal) and was passed unanimously by all councillors.
The Notice of Motion (NOM):
11.1. NOM – Funding for Displaced Residents Cr Owen attended the meeting at 3.14PM Cr Rhiannon Brinsmead Cr James Owen RESOLVED that Council writes to the NSW Premier Dominic Perrotett and the Minister for Planning and Homes Anthony Roberts seeking urgent funding assistance for those displaced residents in the Tweed Shire arising from the 2022 floods to ensure that they gain the appropriate level of technical guidance in their plans and applications for a rebuild of their homes. The Motion was Carried
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