THE TWEED G RE
Volume 2 #40 Thursday, June 17, 2010 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au www.tweedecho.com.au
Tweed Shire Council is threatening to impose a freeze on developments worth billions of dollars in a surprise rebellion against a state government directive to cap developer contributions at $20,000. In a rare act of defiance, the council will tell the NSW government it’s not prepared to raise rates to cover the shortfall in contributions to pay for roads and other infrastructure to service mega projects now on the drawing board. They include Bob Ell’s Cobaki Lakes and Kings Forest developments and other multi-residential projects at Terranora and Bilambil which are currently being assessed by the Planning Department.
Seeking meetings The council unanimously endorsed a mayoral minute to seek a meeting with both the Premier Kristina Keneally and Planning Minister Tony Kelly to ask them to reverse their arbitrary contribution cap. It will also advise them that ‘it can no longer guarantee’ to fund the infrastructure required for these major projects and that only smaller projects which can be funded within the $20,000 cap should be given the go-ahead. The council will also tell the government that if it’s not prepared to budge on the cap they should be prepared to stump up the estimated $300 million required to construct roads to service the projects now in the pipeline. Mayor Warren Polglase said the non-indexed $20,000 cap per house lot which the government recently imposed would create an intolerable financial burden on existing ratepay-
Page 14
LOCAL & INDEPENDENT
Council threatens freeze over cap Ken Sapwell
EN
S C EN E
ers, leading to rate rises of more than 50 per cent. ‘This may seem to be a windfall for the big developers of the massive urban release areas in the shire, but the government’s actions are likely to have the opposite effect,’ he said. ‘It is unlikely that any council, including the Tweed, would raise their annual rates to fund the infrastructure as the premier has suggested. ‘In the absence of a rate rise to meet the funding gap, the infrastructure would not be provided and these projects will flounder with land developers going out of business.’ Cr Polglase said the government had imposed the cap without any consultation in a bid to create more affordable houses, but the move was likely to have the opposite effect. ‘Housing development in the Tweed will grind to a halt through lack of connecting roads and other infrastructure. As supply is restricted, prices for housing blocks will increase dramatically,’ he said. ‘The government’s assertions that developers’ savings will be passed onto homebuyers is unfounded.’ Cr Polglase said although the average contribution was now around $16,000 per lot, soaring construction prices would increase it to more than the $20,000 cap within the next six months. He said the government actions undermined 20 years of strategic planning, putting at risk plans to increase the population from around 85,000 to 125,000 over the next 20 years. ‘Clearly the government’s suggestion of raising annual rates to bridge the shortfall in developer contributions is unfair, abhorrent to the community and should be rejected outright,’ he said.
From wagging tails to telling tales
Monique Ingram from Kingscliff Public School reads to Jake and his best friend Ann Wilson. Photo by Jeff ’Doggerel’ Dawson Tania Phillips
Once upon a time there was a reading program that was non-judgemental, proving very successful and growing like topsy despite having definitely gone to the dogs. The Story Dogs Program, set up by two Tweed women interested in getting involved in a volunteer program and in helpling improve literacy, was set up in 2007 (after a lot of ground work). The program now has 13 teams (dog and handler) operating in four primary schools at Kingscliff, Murwillumbah, Murwillumbah East and Uki and expanding rapidly. Co-founder Leah Sheldon said
CASTROL MAGNATEC 10W40 5LT
DEGREASER 400G
Intelligent molecules for active & continuous protection.
SKU DI05089 IF PURCHASED INDIVIDUALLY $2.09
SKU OA00748
more dogs were currently going through the program and at least three more schools, Centaur, Terranora and South Tweed would be on-line before the end of the year. Leah said Story Dogs was based on the successful American literacy program Reading Education Assistance Dogs (READ) launched in 1999 in Utah USA, as the first comprehensive literacy program built around the idea of children and young adolescents reading to dogs. She said the dogs (and owners) came from all sorts of breeds and types (greyhounds, Jack Russells and even Labrador/Collie crosses) and there was even a one-eyed dog. But what they all had in common was
they were obedient, well behaved and pretty good listeners. The program sees the dogs go into schools and work with kids who may be having trouble with their literacy. ‘The dog just sits there and the children read to it, poor readers seem to really open up to a dog with its adoring eyes,’ Leah said. The dogs are independently assessed and screened by a certified Dogs NSW trainer and not all are passed on their first attempt. Story Dogs handlers are volunteers trained in basic literacy education, primarily focused on the NSW Reading Recovery model. For more information, or to put your dog up for selection visit www. storydogs.org.au.
Number 1 For Your Car
Simply spray on & hose off.
99
$
10% OFF
LIMIT 3 PER CUSTOMER
5
$
3 for
32
$
99
PROTECTION AUTOQLDN03541
200W FRONT AUX IN AM/FM CD TUNER Selectable rear/sub RCA out & AUX in for MP3/iPod™ etc. SKU ME06470
All Al SUPER CHARGE ES IES RIE ERI TER TT TTE AT A BA B
$1.66 PER CAN!
Only available at
Store Stock only
SOUTH TWEED HEADS
Harvey Norman Centre, Greenway Drive Ph: 5523 2055 Personal Shoppers only. *Savings off regular ticketed price. SALE ENDS 25TH JUNE 2010.
<echowebsection=Local News>
CRAZY PRICE!