A blueprint for guiding the growth of Tweed Shire until 2041 was voted on at yesterday’s Council meeting and will soon go on public exhibition.
The Growth Management Housing and Employment Strategy (GMHES) passed four votes to three, according to Council’s meeting agenda minutes.
Staff emphasised the ‘comprehensive and iterative multi-stage process’ in their report.
Council staff write, ‘Tweed Shire is experiencing sustained population growth, primarily driven by interstate migration attracted by lifestyle, environment, and proximity to major centres’.
‘The population is forecast to grow from approximately 98,967 to between 107,125 and 119,082 by 2041, with actual growth dependent on housing supply. Household sizes are declining, with 63% of households expected to be one or two people by 2041. Lot sizes are decreasing, and there is a shift toward more compact, affordable housing. Housing costs have risen sharply, leading to increased housing stress, especially among low-income households. Addressing affordability and supply is a key priority.’
Water is a growth limitation
Yet a key growth limitation is the current capacity of Clarrie Hall Dam, say staff, ‘and existing wastewater treatment plants’.
They say, ‘Current estimates of remaining water capacity indicate future growth for approximately 2,000 new dwellings. This highlights the importance of progressing Clarrie Hall Dam approvals and ultimate construction to secure water supply for the Tweed local government area for years to come. Alternatively,
Council may decide to explore other water augmentation options different to Clarrie Hall Dam. The existing capacity of existing wastewater treatment plants has dictated the growth options and growth pathways identified in the GMHES’.
Biggest item
Cr Nola Firth told The Echo it was the meeting’s biggest item, and if finally adopted, will see an ‘increase of rural second dwellings on land that is 5ha and above’.
‘This was despite the proposed new state low-rise housing and extended complying development reforms, which will remove our ability to put in protective local development application (DA) conditions or to reference the development control plan (DCP. This means the assurance in the strategy of environmental and other protection will not be met.
‘I wanted the rural section removed pending clarification of the impact but didn’t succeed. The strategy will be on exhibition very soon. The state reforms are on exhibition now. https://www.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/draftplans/exhibition/low-rise-housing-and-targeted-assessment-discussion-paper
‘I think people need to know about it because it’s another huge loss of local community input’.
An amendment to the GMHES motion by Cr Kimberly Hone was eventually adopted, which will see a ‘reduction of the rural housing minimum lot threshold for a second detached dwelling from 10ha to 5ha, and other minor editorial amendments’.
Additionally, the amendment seeks ‘information on how Community Land Trust developments could be enabled on public or private land in the Tweed Shire through the GMHES which would enable affordable housing for the missing middle who are currently employed but for whom traditional home ownership has become unreachable’.
Voting for were Cr Reece Byrnes (Deputy Mayor), Cr Rhiannon Brinsmead, Cr Kimberly Hone, Cr James Owen. Voting against were Cr Chris Cherry (Mayor), Cr Meredith Dennis, Cr Nola Firth.
It will soon go on public exhibition for 42 days and the adopted amended motion can be found here https://tweed.resolve.red/portal/Meeting/1846/31684?showMinutes=1
Mayoral Minute – Low-Rise development and targeted assessment pathway reforms
Also at the meeting Mayor Chris Cherry was successful with her mayoral minute which asks Council staff to prepare ‘a submission by the deadline detailing the positive and negative impacts the proposed changes to low-rise Housing development and targeted assessment pathway requirements would have in our Shire’.
Voting for were Cr Chris Cherry (Mayor), Cr Reece Byrnes (Deputy Mayor), Cr Rhiannon Brinsmead, Cr Meredith Dennis, Cr Nola Firth, Cr Kimberly Hone, Cr James Owen. None voted against.
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