When the new Tweed Valley Hospital (TVH) site was selected and it’s status as State Significant Farmland (SSF) was removed both Labor and the National-Liberal Party confirmed with the community that they would not allow any further development on the rest of the SSF at that site.
The question is will the Labor state government uphold its commitment or will it allow the rezoning of the site and approve the Cudgen Connection development that NSW Health has consistently stated is not required for the TVH health and education precinct and that any growth will be contained within the existing TVH and TAFE footprint – including essential worker accommodation.
Is the commitment really ‘iron clad’?
State member for Tweed, National’s MP Geoff Provest has repeatedly said that they would not approve any further development of the SSF at Cudgen. This was clarified by the then Minister for Agriculture, and now leader of the NSW National Party, Dugald Saunders, who told The Echo in February 2022, ‘The NSW government made a commitment to protecting the remaining Cudgen farmland in the Tweed Shire. I support the local member and thank Geoff Provest for his advocacy in ensuring this land is protected for the Tweed Shire community’.
At the time the SSF was re-zoned for the Tweed Valley Hospital to be built, the ALP, at state and federal levels, all committed to ‘iron clad’ promises that no more of the SSF would be rezoned. This was then confirmed in the lead up to the state election on March 16, 2023 by ALP candidate Craig Elliot (husband of the current Federal Labor member for Richmond, Justine Elliot).
The Echo had asked Mr Elliot, ‘Will you give an unequivocal guarantee to protect the remaining Cudgen State Significant Farmland, including any attempts to rezone for non-agricultural purposes, such as those proposed by the “Cudgen Connection”?’
‘Yes. Labor is on the record as being committed to protecting State Significant Farmland,’ he said. ‘I have never supported having this prime agricultural land rezoned and sold off to developers.’
The Echo has asked Labor’s NSW Upper House, Emily Suvaal, who covers Northern NSW, if NSW state Labor will honour their commitment not to approve further development on SSF.
38m height
The Cudgen Connection development application (DA) represented by Allan Larkin, Digital Infratech Director, is currently on public exhibition and under assessment by NSW Planning. Submissions must be logged by 5pm Monday, 18 August.
‘This is a critical matter for our community and Kingscliff Ratepayers and Progress Association (KRPA) urges community members to get informed about the project and let their voice be heard through a submission,’ said Peter Newton, President of KRPA.
The current proposal is seeking an increase from the current 10m height limit to proposed heights of up to 38m, which is from 12-13 storeys, assuming an average floor height of 2.8 to 3 meters, significantly exceeding current building height maximums in the area.
‘Approval will result in the loss of our community’s long-fought-for building height limits due to a DA’s proposed change to the Tweed Shire’s Local Environment Plan (LEP), which would allow building heights to 38mters on this site! There is also no strategic merit in this proposal and it does not sit within of the Shire’s current and future strategic planning,’ explained Mr Newton.
‘The proposal clearly accepts that it is not in keeping with the major planning frameworks of our community, but seeks to significantly change these in order to proceed with the commercial development.’
In a previous meeting attended by The Echo with the developer Mr Larkin he made clear that once the development is approved they would not be the ones building the proposed residential accommodations the DA proposes and therefore not in control of the outcomes of that part of the DA.
‘Importantly, there is no guarantee that the proposal will actually be delivered beyond any approval to rezone SSF and dramatically change building height limits,’ explained Mr Newton.
‘The proposal has been soundly rejected by the Tweed community during the extensive Growth Management and Housing Strategy (GMHS) consultation process and it (Ciudgen Connection) has been removed from any further strategic consideration. It will not form part of the important GMHS draft strategy soon to be released to the community.
‘The commitment to no further loss of protected SSF has been confirmed consistently to the community time and time again by politicians of all levels and sides. Our community has accepted these assurances in good faith.
‘We urge community members to consider the facts and let their voice be heard on this critical community matter by lodging a submission by 5pm, 18 August to: https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/ppr/under-exhibition/cudgen-connection.
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