Ballina Council’s last meeting saw progress on Tuckean Swamp, while Mayor Cadwallader maintained her support for the stockyards at Alstonville Showground, despite residents’ objections.
After a minute’s silence for Anzac Day, Council deferred its decision on a planning proposal in relation to five Teven test properties, in order to obtain further information from the relevant department, and invite a briefing on the application of conservation zones.
All councillors voted to include consideration of a skate park at Alstonville in the preparation of a master plan for Geoff Watt Oval.
Ballina Bowling and Recreation Club was given another year’s licence to operate at peppercorn rent, noting the continued availability of the facility for community croquet.
Recission fails
A rescission motion on Council’s previous controversial approval of an illegally constructed stock holding yard close to residential properties near Alstonville Showground failed to move councillors, with the casting vote of Mayor Sharon Cadwallader breaking the deadlock in favour of the development.
Crs Therese Crollick, Simon Chate, Erin Karsten, Kiri Dicker and Phil Meehan took the opposite position.
Crs Kiri Dicker and Therese Crollick had more success with their next motion, to acknowledge the immense cultural, environmental, social and economic values brought to the people of Ballina Shire by Maamang/the Richmond River, and to do something about one of the principal causes of the recent mass fish kills, by improving flood management options in the Tuckean Swamp, if necessary by reacquiring floodprone land.
After some argy bargy about amendments, the original motion was passed with the support of all councillors.
An approval for an increase in management costs for the Ballina War Memorial Pool was approved.
Councillors also voted unanimously to commence a consultation process to seek an additional 11 per cent increase on top of an estimated 3.25 per cent rate peg increase, over a four year period from 2026.
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With local government meeting practice across the state returning to confusion following the NSW Legislative Council's recent decision, Ballina Shire Council's last meeting included a lot of unanimous decisions and an argument about the remnants of the Big Scrub, in which Mayor Cadwallader used her casting vote to squash Cr Simon Chate's motion. Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has approved Ballina Shire Council's application to increase its general income through a permanent special variation (SV) of 26.25% [in rates] over four years, from 2026-27 to 2029-30. Byron Greens members could expect to be asked to take the future of the Richmond River further south into account when choosing a candidate for next year’s state election. Local business owners in the Alstonville and Wollongbar townships are being encouraged to take the time to read through Ballina Shire Council’s draft plans, which are currently on exhibition. The Lennox Kinvara Action Group is calling for email submissions to Ballina Shire Council to stop the development of thousands of houses in a sensitive, flood-prone area, as the full scale of what's planned becomes better known.
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