Tweed Shire Council has adopted planning controls to guide future development in Burringbar’s village centre and agreed to pursue a reduction in its maximum building height from 13.6 metres to nine metres.
Councillors unanimously adopted the Burringbar Village Centre Character Statement at their October 22 meeting, endorsing its inclusion in the Tweed Development Control Plan.
The separate height reduction requires an amendment to the Tweed Local Environmental Plan 2014. Councillors endorsed preparing and submitting a planning proposal to pursue that change, rather than approving a new height limit.
The character statement is intended to guide the design of future development and redevelopment while retaining the village centre’s distinctive character.
Seven submissions were received during public exhibition. Four supported the statement and associated development controls, while three opposed aspects of the proposal.
Council endorsed the staff responses to submissions for public release alongside its decision to adopt the character statement.
Concerns included restrictions on property owners, redevelopment costs and whether additional controls could hinder village revitalisation and flood recovery.
‘The character statement is not intended to preserve Burringbar as a heritage precinct or prevent contemporary development from occurring,’ the staff report states.
The report says the controls would apply to future development, rather than requiring existing buildings or fences to be changed retrospectively.
It also clarifies that the statement does not impose an outright ban on brick construction, although large, visually dominant areas of brickwork are discouraged.
Low or absent front fencing is preferred, but existing fences would not have to be removed.
According to the report, none of the submissions objected to the proposed height reduction.
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