GOOD INTENT HOTEL EXPANSION Maiden speech puts anti-mining stand on record

The Good Intent Hotel, located in South Grafton, is set to undergo a makeover after a development application (DA) was lodged on behalf of the North Coast Hotel Group for the premises at 63 to 65 Armidale Street.

The DA proposes internal upgrades to the bar, kitchen, toilets, and office, as well as the addition of a beer garden, kids play area, footpath, landscaping, waste management area and additional carparking. The current 17 rooms for accommodation will be refurbished to meet current regulations.

The proposal includes construction of the off-street car park at the rear of the site to accommodate 44 additional car parking spaces including a reconstructed driveway access to Norrie Street, an accessible parking space and service vehicle area at the rear of the existing retail. The existing car park on the Armidale Street frontage will be re-linemarked and configured to accommodate 45 car parking spaces including an accessible parking space.

The proposed alterations and additions to the Good Intent Hotel are intended to ensure the pub can continue to trade as a viable business while serving the needs of people within the neighbourhood and broader community.

The proposal meets the built form requirements of the planning instruments and provides improved accessibility with ramps, toilets, and car parking facilities.

The design has been informed by civil, traffic and acoustic engineers to ensure the proposal is suitable for the site and will not unduly affect the surrounding properties and locality.

Clarence Valley Council welcomes submissions from members of the community and industry stakeholders to inform and transparent decision making. Any submissions made are public documents and not confidential. Those wishing to make a submission can visit https://www. clarence.nsw.gov.au/ Building-and-planning/ Advertised-DAs/ DA20230253-65Armidale-Street-SouthGrafton and press the make a submission button. Submissions close at 4pm on May 22.

By TIM HOWARD

Newly elected Nationals

MP for Clarence Richie Williamson used his maiden speech in NSW Parliament to put on the record his position on key issues for the electorate.

Most notably he told the parliament he would be a staunch opponent of mining in the Clarence Valley.

He also indicated he saw the upgrade of of health facilities, such as Grafton Base Hospital as well as hospitals is smaller centres like Maclean and Coraki as vital.

And he urged continued focus on recovery from the 2019-20 fires and the disastrous flooding, which still affected thousands of people in the electorate.

He said this had exacerbated an already dire housing crisis in his electorate.

Also there had to be a rethink around the short-term rental accommodation regulations, which he said was having a detrimental effect on residential housing supply.

He also warned the fishing industry, particularly prawning, faced huge challenges to overcome an infestation of white spot in the Clarence River, that had emerged in local prawn farms in the past year.

Mr Williamson’s speech, delivered late in the day last Wednesday, began with the usual pleasantries, thanking the party faithful and his staff for helping him across the line and giving a potted history of his family and attachment to the region, was notably free of commentary on the leadership turmoil the Nationals found themselves in over the past two weeks.

The decision of North Coast-based Nationals MLC Ben Franklin to accept the position of upper house president from his close friend across the aisle, Premier Chris Minns, sparked accusations of treachery from colleagues and cost former leader Paul Toole his job.

The controversy is not too far from home, as Mr Franklin, who lives in Byron Bay, served as parliamentary secretary for the region in 201719.

Mr Franklin also resigned from the upper house to run unsuccessfully for the seat of Ballina in the 2019 election. He regained his upper house position when chosen to fill the casual vacancy his resignation created.

When Mr Toole visited the Clarence to hand out sports grants prior to the election, Mr Williamson praised the then leader and thanked him for the counsel he gave to him as a candidate.

There was no mention of Mr Toole in this speech.

Mr Williamson said his position against any mining in the Clarence Valley was a reflection of the community’s feelings.

“I believe Mr Speaker, the Clarence electorate should be mining free and its natural beauty, our pristine waterways, our prime farmland and national parks should not be put at risk, even if that risk is classified as minor,” he said.

“Mr Speaker, this is not a Greens campaign, but one that is communityled by local families, farmers, Aboriginal leaders, tourism managers in the general community who don’t want to see mining in the upper reaches of the Clarence River.

“I agree there is simply too much to lose.”

Mr Williamson used examples drawn from his electorate to show why he believed the region would recover from “rough hands” it has been been dealt recently.

“If it wasn’t the drought, it was the fires which destroyed hundreds of homes in my electorate,” he said.

“And if it wasn’t the fires, it was the biblical sized floods that displaced thousand and Mr Speaker 1000s were displaced.

“Today hundreds still remain without a home. All this while coping with COVID-19. We will recover. “We are strong and resilient up north. We have to be.”

But he said help for the community had been painfully slow.

He spoke of 85-yearold Woodburn resident Bob May, rescued by “tinny heroes” while he waded in waist-deep in water.

He is looking for a home buyback unlike Rob and Jen Kelly, who want to move their home next to the Richmond River just 30m to get it on higher ground.

“Again, progress is slow but is being made. Two examples, Mr Speaker that is amplified hundreds of times,” he said.

He also produced example of ways the community was pulling together to help itself.

“Selfless deeds like Fiona from the Riverside Butchery in Coraki,” he said.

“Their business lost $48,000 worth of equipment and $25,000 worth of stock, but they still gave and are giving today, cooking weekly hot meals for the community because some people in her community still don’t have a kitchen to cook in.

“The butchery continues to donate meat at at cost price.

“And can I say now is the best time ever to buy local, small businesses are hurting.”

He said the Clarence prawning industry also needed a hand.

“The livelihoods of 90 fishing families and 60 staff are at risk due to a control order for the movement of green prawns following the discovery of white spot in prawn farms,” Mr Williamson said.

“Overnight livelihoods of these businesses and farms, many of them decades in the making, were taken away with zero compensation, or little or no compensation from any government.

“I believe this place can do better, or I fear the prawning industry on the Clarence might slowly disappear.”

The housing crisis in the Clarence electorate was another area where he believed the government could do more.

“We need to do better on housing. Sometimes simply finding a roof to put over our heads is out of reach for many and varied ways,” he said.

“I commend the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Commission, who aimed to find 10,000 blocks on the Northern Rivers for development.

“Let’s get innovative and find ways to ensure that affordable housing blocks remain affordable forever.”

But he said he had come to view the shortterm rental industry as an impediment to that aim.

}I’ve now formed the view and the opinion that short term holiday rental market in residential zones is having a detrimental effect on the long term residential housing market,” he said.

“The idea that was simply letting out a room to make a few extra bucks quickly move to an entire house in turn taking that property off the long term rental market.

“More policy needs to be done in this area as a matter of urgency.”

Mr Williamson drew on the inspiration of Graftonian Sir Earle Page, the founder of Nationals precursor the Country Party, to “dream big” when seeking solutions to the problems the region faced.

“In 1920, he dreamt big, dreaming up public infrastructure, like the Nymboida Hydro Power Station, which powered the entire North Coast,” Mr Williamson said.

“He opened it in 1924 when he was Federal Treasurer. Sir Earle Page dreamt big and his fingerprints are still evident in my electorate today.”

Mr Williamson promised to be a representative for his community and noted parliament should be a place that represented the wishes of the people.

“To the people in the Clarence electorate I will be your advocate in this Parliament,” he said. “I will bring us to Sydney and promise not to bring Sydney to you.”

TWENTY-YEAR-OLD MALE FATALLY DROWNS IN YAMBA POOL

NSW Police Force has not ruled out the possibility of a coronial inquest into the incident. The tragic incident is a reminder to all pool users, regardless of age, to ensure they are aware of the risks before entering any body of water and to always swim with a partner. The death of the man in his 20s at the Yamba Community Pool on Friday May 5 has sent shockwaves through the Clarence Valley. Emergency services were called to the pool on Angourie Road at Yamba about 12.40pm and officers from the Coffs Clarence Police District arrived at the scene and commenced CPR on the man before NSW Ambulance arrived, however the man was unable to be revived.

The man, who was believed to be in his 20s is still being formally identified and on Monday, May 8, police were still contacting relatives before they released the man’s name. It is understood the man had recently moved to the Clarence Valley and was undergoing dive training at the Yamba Community Pool when the incident occurred, requiring the man to stay underwater for an extended period of time to build up his lung capacity in the pool.

Yamba Community Pool is owned by Clarence Valley Council and closes for the winter from June 9. Coffs Clarence Police established a crime scene and inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are continuing.

NSW Police Force has not ruled out the possibility of a coronial inquest into the incident.

The tragic incident is a reminder to all pool users, regardless of age, to ensure they are aware of the risks before entering any body of water and to always swim with a partner. It is important to make sure the pool is supervised, and that the appropriate safety equipment is available. This includes life jackets, life rings, first aid kits and a phone in case of emergency.

Swimmers should also be aware of the depth of the pool and should not dive into shallow water. Swimmers should also be aware of their own physical limitations and should not attempt to swim in waters that are too deep for them. Finally, swimmers should never swim alone, and should always be accompanied by a companion.