It is unfortunate the Tweed Growth Management and Housing Strategy – draft Options Paper (TGMHS) is mired in much controversy.
The huge discrepancy of the government and Tweed Shire Council (9/8/22) growth figures being more than doubled in the TGMHS is a mystery. There is little acknowledgement we already have approved zoned land to accommodate the projected growth. Provisions already exist within existing urban areas for multiple occupancy development in urban centres to facilitate growth, with huge swathes of these areas yet to be redeveloped.
Controversial development applications refused due to significant issues have now been popped into the TGMHS.
This includes the industrial development (so-called food hub) proposed at Cudgera Creek that is included in the TGMHS as Change 44. This is now to be a much greater area proposed for industrial development and claimed to be Pottsville. It claims it is included in the current North Coast Regional Plan (NCRP) and Tweed Urban and Employment Land Release Strategy (TUELRS) which is false; the site is in fact the rural hamlet Cudgera Creek and is not included in the current NCRP and TUELRS.
The so-called caravan park site at Pottsville, also refused due to significant constraints/issues has now been included, along with several other areas proposed regardless of significant environmental constraints.
Protected wetlands for development?
The Crown Reserve at Tweed Heads West (7) is included to be part of the airport precinct for industrial development. This Reserve is the last remaining flood plain for the Tweed Heads urban area and carries massive volumes of flood waters.
Filling the site for such development will significantly exacerbate flood impacts to the residential area, Kennedy Drive (major arterial road), airport operations (closed for its longest period 2022) when the National Highway M1 tunnel came close to flooding.
There is no reference that this site is within the first one kilometre from the end of the runway subject to ‘designated public safety’ area restricting concentration of people. It also makes no reference to its environmental significance of wetlands, numerous threatened species/habitat including critically endangered species and several endangered ecological communities.
The Reserve is in fact subject to previous approval conditions for the airport site under the Federal EPBC Act and Airports Act with a statutory Plan of Management under all 3 levels of government to manage the vegetation, protect the migratory wader habitat and compensatory planting program.
More broken promises?
The relocation of the Tweed Hospital to the Cudgen Plateau State Significant Farmland (SSF) met with real controversy with subsequent commitments there would be no further development of the SSF.
However, the TGMHS proposes further development of the SSF and makes no reference of the site as SSF, and falsely claims is RU2 (35). There is significant timeline evidence of formal records and pre-determinations that warrants an inquiry prior to any further proposed development of the SSF.
Like the Tweed Heads West community have the zombie approval filling the floodplain to deal with, the Kingscliff community has theirs with the TGMHS proposing increasing densities and further expanding the Kingscliff West floodplain development.
References that Kingscliff is within the boundary of the Tweed Regional City Action Plan are false. There are a considerable number of changes proposed for the Kingscliff community that has fought for decades to preserve its character and height limits.
Why was the Kingscliff Locality Plan, adopted just four years ago after extensive consultation, not included as a key policy document in the development of the TGMHS, along with our principle planning tool – Tweed Local Environmental Plans (Appendix 1)?
Of note is the governments Tweed Regional Economic Development Strategy (REDS) which is included. This was developed under the then Premier and Deputy commencing 2017 under much secrecy with zero public consultation and refers to a ‘super precinct’ around the new Cudgen Tweed Valley Hospital. While the main document to the REDS across regional NSW were publicly released for other regions the Tweed’s was not.
The TGMHS includes proposals that are far removed from adaptation to a resilient future. Under current regulations every home built/purchased is open to be swallowed up for short-term holiday letting, lands rezoned to be land banked, and there are no guarantees for affordable housing development, nor their protection in perpetuity.
The long held vision for our shire has been to preserve its own unique character of coastal/rural towns/villages, city centre and landscapes separate from the Gold Coast, and protection of the shires’ internationally recognised environmental assets/values. It is of critical importance our community voice is not lost to short-term gain of corporate, developer, and land banker interests.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
