Tweed Shire councillors adopted the Growth Management and Housing Strategy (GMHS) last Thursday on the casting vote of the Mayor Chris Cherry (Independent).
A motion for detached, dual occupancy on lots of at least ten hectares was put forward by National’s councillor Kimberly Hone, who focussed on how tough it was for farmers in the region; however it lapsed as there was no seconder.
The Mayors alternate motion, that covered numerous changes to the proposed GMHS, was then put forward and seconded by Independent Deputy Mayor, Meridith Dennis.
Speaking to the motion Mayor Cherry said that there were a range of population figures being bandied around but that the GHMS was not about ‘trying to reach a certain population’ but about ‘what do we want to look like’ as the population grows.
‘The GMHS is the most important document that our council will deal with in this term I believe, certainly it’s the most important document I believe that our council has dealt with in my whole time on council,’ she said.
When the options paper was put out for public comment the Tweed councillors had specifically left in a wide range of options for the public to provide feedback on.
With around 640 submissions the Mayor said ‘the community have really come back very, very strongly on what they want to see’.
‘This amendment contains a lot of changes and it does delete [and modify] quite a number of options that were put forward. I think it’s really important that the community understand how much their feedback has been taken on board in doing this,’ she said.
Cr Cherry pointed out that the alternate motion allowed secondary dwellings on lots of ten acres and above for around 30 per cent of rural lots but that the details of under what circumstances they would be allowed would be decided when the council got to the ‘strategy’ part of the GMHS.
She also highlighted the fact that once something is included in a strategy it is very hard to remove and that that land gains ‘a certain weight… it has a certain consideration that other proposals don’t have’.
Once a piece of land is included in a strategy that highlights it for potential alternative development options that land becomes more valuable due to the potential for future development.
18,226 lots for future growth
Cr Cherry pointed out that the Tweed Shire already has around ‘18,226 lots already identified for future growth’.
Councillor Dr Nola Firth raised concerns over the inclusion of secondary dwellings in rural areas.
‘We know that the Sustainability and Environment Department have spoken against it. It’s in the report,’ she said.
Cr Firth said the GMHS ‘has many, many good points’ but highlighted issues with including secondary dwellings in the GMHS. She said a second dwelling on a rural property does not increase the rates of that property and can ultimately lead to higher rates for the whole community.
‘We know that approximately 50 per cent of landowners don’t live on their rural properties… and there’s going to be no way we can stop short-term accommodation happening there,’ she said.
Cr Firth also highlighted that a secondary dwelling was already allowed on rural blocks as long as it had a shared wall with the existing dwelling.
Responding to concerns over secondary dwellings and dual occupancies Mayor Cherry said ‘there were 121 submissions that supported secondary dwellings, as we’ve basically put forward. There were only 29 that supported the detached, dual occupancy. So I think we are going forward with what the community has asked for in the majority.
‘I know we hear that farmers are doing it tough, and you know, it’s a hard business to run,’ said Cr Cherry who is herself a farmer.
‘But if we have a business that’s doing it tough in the CBD of Murwillumbah we don’t say that you can put a house on top so that you get an alternate income.’
With Labor councillor Reece Byrnes absent the vote was tied three all with Crs Cherry, Dennis, and Rhiannon Brinsmead in favour and Crs Firth, Hone, and James Owen against. The casting vote of Mayor Cherry saw the GMHS adopted.
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