Tweed Echo – Issue 3.05 – 30/09/2010

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THE TWEED

Rally moves to Coffs!

Volume 3 #05 Thursday, September 30, 2010

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Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 editor@tweedecho.com.au adcopy@tweedecho.com.au www.tweedecho.com.au

LOCAL & INDEPENDENT

Govt rejects police bid for prime land Ken Sapwell

Controversial plans to establish a police station on prime agricultural land near Kingscliff have hit a major hurdle. The Department of Planning has given the $4.5 million project the thumbs down because of concerns it will alienate and fragment farming land which has been classed as having state and regional significance. Tweed Council’s chief planner Vince Connell says he has now written to consultants acting for the police force, the United Services Group (USG), suggesting they withdraw an application to subdivide the land. Mr Connell said he’d given the USG until October 8 to respond but has advised them the council ‘is not in a position to approve the application unless the state government gives its concurrence’.

‘Only feasible location’ The police had claimed that the 1.5-hectare site at Cudgen was the only feasible location for the proposed Kingscliff West station and did not require council consent because it was classed as an emergency facility. But this claim has been challenged by the Kingscliff Ratepayers’ and Progress Association (see sidebar). The setback is the latest in a saga of failed attempts to rezone farmland east of Old Bogangar Road for urban development since the Anglican Church failed to build a school on a nearby block 12 years ago. Police had asked the council to go against its Local Environment Plan which prohibits subdivisions of less than 10ha to create a 1.5ha allotment from a 39ha block owned by the Kingscliff Land Company. ‘The subdivision provides the minimum area necessary for the construc-

tion and operation of the station, and provides sufficient land for the continuation of the existing agricultural land use of the newly created adjoining lot,’ USG say. The application is being watched closely by other emergency services who have been searching for a floodfree site to consolidate their operations in a so-called super-centre close to the geographic centre of the shire. Former long-serving mayor Max Boyd, who was part of a study team which resulted in the Cudgen plateau being classified as agricultural land of state significance, said he was not surprised the government had not given its concurrence. ‘The land is recognised as being in the top ten per cent of agricultural land in Australia and has been given the highest possible level of protection,’ he said. The Kingscliff Land Company (KLC) purchased the 39ha parcel in a joint venture with Coles Myer for $4.5 million in 2004 but has since been unsuccessful in two attempts to rezone the land for houses and a retail centre. The first bid came unstuck when the council was sacked in disgrace in 2005 and the second failed in a narrow 4-3 vote in May last year. KLC director, former Tweed National Party MP Don Beck, told The Echo in July the site was an ideal location for the police station, being floodfree and at the crossroads of the shire. He said he did not believe KLC’s holding warranted its state significance classification. The purchase attracted media attention when mortgage documents revealed KLC entered into a conditional arrangement with then sitting councillor Lynne Beck and her two sisters to pay an extra $5 million if the land was rezoned before November last year.

Veteran triathlete proves too good One of the competitors in last Sunday’s second annual Kingscliff Triathlon in action along Marine Parade. Photo Jeff ‘Head Down Bum Up’ Dawson

Hundreds of people competed in and just as many watched the second Kingscliff Triathlon last Sunday, won by four-time Australian triathlete and Olympian Craig Walton from the Gold Coast. The 34-year-old had returned from a three-year retirement to compete in the event and won by seven minutes. Walton competed in the race as preparation for next month’s Noosa

A residents’ group thinks it has found two sites more suitable for a proposed new police headquarters building than protected farmland at Cudgen. The Kingscliff Ratepayers’ and Progress Association says police should be looking at two sites at Chinderah instead of eyeing part of Cudgen’s red-soil plateau for their new headquarter building. The association said Chinderah had long been identified as the pre-

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police headquarters servicing the entire Tweed. It will operate 24 hours a day, and will include police training rooms, dog kennels and training areas and a vehicle storage area. ‘We think it could be the thin edge of the wedge that will open up adjoining farm land for a so-called super centre which will also house the fire brigade, ambulance and the State Emergency Service. ‘We believe it will impact on the continued on page 2

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ferred site for a so-called emergency services super centre because of its motorway location at the centre of the shire’s fast growing areas. ‘We’ve written to the council asking them to examine these two sites which we believe are well located and flood-free,’ said secretary Julie Murray, whose association was among those objecting to police attempts to slice off farmland for a new police station. ‘The new station will be a new

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earlier this year after being hit by a B-double truck while riding to meet a mate for a training ride. Twin Towns Triathlon Club offered the perpetual trophy in Nev’s honour. The women’s event was won by Melissa Rowlinson (2:13:18) with Marian Summer (2:18:52) second and Alison Ryan (2:27:03) third. More than 600 triathletes took part in the event which was run for the first time in march this year.

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Triathlon, where he has dominated the event. Walton competed the 1.5km swim, 40km ride and 10km run in 1:57:56, ahead of Bryce McMaster (2:05:07). Tweed-based Matthew Lance came third (2:07:19). Walton’s name will be the first engraved on the Nev Salmon Memorial Trophy, the main prize named in honour of former well-known Kingscliff local Neville Salmon, who died

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