Farmers Join Push to Rezone Prime Land
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THE TWEED SHIRE Volume 1 #1 Thursday, August 28, 2008 Advertising and news enquiries: Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Fax: (02) 6672 4933 [email protected] [email protected] www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT Farmers join New kids on push to rezone the block prime land Ken Sapwell ture zoning hit a major hurdle when the land was recently given the State’s A strong push is again underway to highest possible classifi cation. turn rich farming land at Cudgen into Their change of heart comes as an urban landscape – and for the fi rst property investors and land specula- time the plateau’s red-soil farmers are tors continue to risk huge stakes in lending their weight. a rezoning gamble, including a $4.5 Several families who’ve farmed the million Coles joint venture deal for a Tweed’s salad bowl for generations are Lynne Beck family property, with an among 26 landholders signing a peti- extra $5 million if it can be used for a tion calling on the council and NSW supermarket and town houses. Planning Minister Frank Sartor to Warren Polglase, who is seeking rezone the land for urban purposes. to regain the mayoral robes, says as a Th e petition asks Mr Sartor to ar- former wheat and rice grower he well range a meeting to discuss an urgent understood the farmers’ situation. review of Cudgen’s State Signifi cance He says their request is a ‘fair ask status, citing changes since 2005 which and worthy of serious consideration’ Spring has sprung throughout the Tweed, and with it comes new births, not least the Tweed Shire Echo’s. because farmers were best placed to Newborn animals are also a common sight in the Tweed Valley. Here fi ve-year-old Makoa Ross is pictured at his appreciate the land’s productivity. grand father’s farm at Uki with this gorgeous Anglo-Nubian kid, whose mother won grand champion doe at the ‘It’s the last patch of prime ‘Th ey have been there a long time 2008 Royal Brisbane Show earlier this month. agricultural land on the and they can’t produce enough to re- main viable,’ he said. East coast of Australia but ‘It has parallels with the farming I think it’s only a matter of land around Terranora which the New supermarket for Pottsville? time before it goes.’ council rezoned because they couldn’t Pottsville Village appears to have limit the size of neighborhood retail approached the council and advised make a go of it.’ emerged as Tweed Council’s first centres in places like Seabreeze to that their land which is positioned One retired farmer who didn’t want choice for the location of a full-line around 500 sqm. behind the existing commercial it says is putting the economic viabil- to be named said farmers would have supermarket on the southern end of Th ey identify Pottsville Village as premises could be made available ity of farms ‘under a real and present once considered it sacrilege to build the Coast. having the potential to support a full- for retail expansion if it supported danger of collapse.’ on good soil, but times appeared to Council Administrators at their line supermarket of up to 2500 sqm the strengthening of the existing vil- It says farms are struggling to stay be changing. second last council meeting decided within the next eight years. lage centre as the primary commer- viable because increasing areas of the He agreed production was declining to amend the town’s locality plan in Th e concentration of retail services cial and retail hub of Pottsville,’ the plateau are being allowed to lay fal- because less than a dozen landowners a move likely to squeeze the nearby in one place would create a vibrant report said. low, drains are weed clogged, labour genuinely worked the land while oth- Seabreeze Estate out of the big super- mixed-use centre and reduce shop- ‘This has changed the current is hard to fi nd and economies of scale ers let their properties run down in market race. pers’ vehicle fuel bills, the planners view not only on the availability achieved by broad-acre farms else- the hope that a change of council or But the amendments will not be say. of land having the potential suit- where are impossible to match. government might turn the tide in put on public exhibition until the A report to the meeting said land ability to accommodate a large su- Until now long-time produce grow- their favour. findings of a yet-to-be completed restraints around the village which permarket and commercial floor ers have refused to publicly support a ‘It’s the last patch of prime agricul- site suitability investigation are con- may have hindered an expansion of area within the village centre, but group of non-farmers in the Cudgen tural land on the east coast of Australia sidered. the existing shopping centre may would also be likely to present op- Land Owners’ Association whose 10- but I think it’s only a matter of time Council planners have suggest- soon be removed. portunities for improving the local year campaign to lift its prime agricul- continued on page 2 ed that controls be put in place to ‘Th e NSW Department of Lands road network.’ EdboWlW_bWXb[Wj$$$ CATALOGUE SOUTH TWEED HEADS SHOP 7, OUT NOW! 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Kingscliff’s Marine Parade at the plateau also faced dif- Retired Cudgen farmer and the weekend, Mr Prichard said ficulties competing against Unique puzzles, novelties, former Tweed Shire council- he understood farmers who large-scale production in party gear, casino games, magic lor Keith Prichard (pictured on wanted to earn a living from Queensland with the giant POKER DICE the right) recalls the old days farming, which, even though retailers’ influence on the Unit 8, 43 Greenway Drive, when sweet juicy pineapples it was ‘a great life’, were faced market. were grown and sold by the with the offer of ‘big money’ He said he ‘really wouldn’t TM Tweed Heads South (07) 5523 2633 roadside by the farming fami- from developers for their rich know’ the impact that some Dice lies on the rich red soils of the volcanic land. speculators and developers *by the staff FUN · GAMES · MAGIC famed Cudgen plateau. ‘The temptation is too good,’ buying up the prized land in And just as the cash crop he said. the agriculturally-protected switched over from rough- ‘There’s no doubt, all of zone and leaving it fallow Contemporary Stylish skinned pineapples to sweet Cudgen and Duranbah is were having on the remain- potatoes or tomatoes over the lovely, it has beautiful soil, it’s ing farmers, who were none- years as markets also evolved, pretty... and it’s one of the wet- ers association, said he fore- theless making money. the 79-year-old patriarch of the test areas with regular, soaking saw the fragmentation of the But if a struggling farmer wellknown Cudgen family can rain and overflowing dams… it land 20-30 years ago despite was offered ‘two to three mil- sense the times are changing, can grow just about any crop,’ the ‘booming’ supply to the lion dollars’ for their farm, he but in a much more funda- he said. Gold Coast and local vendors wouldn’t blame them. mental way. Mr Prichard, a long-time of fresh produce from the ‘Crikey, I’d be buggered if I DUNE Mr Prichard, whose family chair of his former local grow- high-yielding volcanic soil. didn’t take it,’ he said . DESIGN BOUTIQUE for decades have continuously made a living from growing and Individualised personalised styling selling small crops in the food (appointments recommended) bowl of Cudgen-Duranbah overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Leather handbags, shoes & accessories said he was sympathetic to the dilemma faced by the Cudgen 2/5 Coronation Avenue Pottsville Beach farmers and stall operators. (02) 6676 4453 -ETALICUSs'RABs#OOPER3TREETs,ILIs6-s3AMVARA Farmers join ANDINTRODUCINGFOR-EN4AROCASHsLNDUSTRIEs,4" push to rezone BUILDING OR RENOVATING? prime land Timber Bi-Folding Doors continued from page 1 before it goes,’ he said. ‘It’s unique because during the last big drought Cudgen farmers didn’t have a problem because the plateau has unlim- ited groundwater. ‘But if the farmers don’t want to farm and they want to go, well that’s their right and I wouldn’t say anything against $//23#/-0,%4%,9&/,$"!#+4/2%6%!,!7/2,$/&30!#% s3OLIDTIMBERGLASSDOORSs0ERFECTFORNEWHOMESs(IGHQUALITY it.’ JOINERYs)DEALREPLACEMENTFORALUMINIUMSLIDERSs/NDISPLAYINOUR The renewed push covers the Locally-grown fruit and vegetable stalls like this popular one run by the Prichard family in SHOWROOMs/BLIGATIONFREEMEASUREANDQUOTEs)NSTALLATION entire plateau and is broader Cudgen could become just a memory if the land they sell from loses its agricultural protection.