When NSW Health unexpectedly changed plans and pushed forward to develop the Tweed Valley Hospital (TVH) on State Significant Farmland (SSF) on the Cudgen Plateau near Kingscliff the Kingscliff community was given an ‘iron clad’ promise that no further development would take place on the designated SSF.
Developer Allan Larkin bought the neighbouring property to the, yet to be approved, TVH site just days before the approval went through in 2019 in the full knowledge that the land was protected and could only be used for agricultural purposes. Since that point he has been pushing the development of the site against clear community opposition and ‘iron clad’ government promises from state member for Tweed Geoff Provest that they would not approve any further rezoning of the site from SSF.
Broken promises?
This Thursday the proposal to rezone the site at at 741 Cudgen Road in Cudgen will be looked at by Tweed Councillors with Tweed Council staff recommending ‘progressing the planning proposal to the Gateway Determination’.
President of the Kingscliff Ratepayers Association Peter Newton told The Echo that they ‘are disappointed that the Council report has recommended approval. The position of the Association remains unequivocally opposed to the loss of this valuable land, once it’s gone, it’s gone.’
The Cudegn Plateau was set aside for the future in the early 2000s with strong community support and the community has fought strongly to maintain the integrity of the area since then due to its significant future value as farmland. Once farmland has been built on it can not be used for food production in the future.
‘The fact remains that this proposal is on legislatively protected farmland that can only be used for agriculturally related purposes, something the developer knew from day one when he moved to “bank” the land,’ explained Mr Newton.
‘During the recent growth management and housing strategy community consultation, our community was told many times to “think of the future”. Well, this is exactly what we are doing right now and we ask our Council to do the same – concreting drought proof, climate resilient, protected farmland for a proposal which is no more than a speculative development, providing a grab bag of community “hot topics” is condemning access of future generations to a vital food bowl.
‘Other land bankers have been holding precious and protected agricultural land for some years just waiting for a decision like this.
‘Our federal and state members, and local Councillors have, over some years now been falling over themselves guaranteeing and reinforcing to our community that none of the remaining State Significant Farmland will be lost. Now is the time for them to stand up for what is right,’ he said.
Address council
If you are interested in addressing your councillors on this issue you can speak at public access before the meeting. To apply to speak at a public forum, you must contact Council by phone or email before 12 pm (noon) on the Wednesday preceding the meeting.
You can attend the local council meeting this Thursday at the Tweed Shire Council Chambers at the Murwillumbah Civic & Cultural Centre, Tumbulgum Road, Murwillumbah or watch it live streamed from 3.30pm here. The council do not livestream public access.
♦ Tweed MP Geoff Provest was contacted for comment but no response was received.
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