SCENE THE TWEED N E Volume 3 #03 E Thursday, September 16, 2010 R Advertising and news enquiries: G Phone: (02) 6672 2280 [email protected] [email protected] Page www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT 14 New township for 10,000 people gets green light Ken Sapwell Tweed area continues to expand with people moving down from the north- Billionaire developer Bob Ell is ern state.’ poised to create two ‘mini-cities’ in He said he was aware of commu- Tweed shire after Planning Minister nity concerns about the impacts the Tony Kelly gave the green light to his long-stalled project would have on $420 million Kings Forest project on the shire’s dwindling koala population Friday. and had taken steps to address them. Mr Kelly visited the 860-hectare They included a koala plan of site west of Cabarita Beach to an- management by koala expert Frank nounce concept plan approval for Carrick, which Mr Kelly said would 4,500 new homes in 23 separate resi- ‘establish a comprehensive framework dential precincts, a town centre, two for koala management.’ schools, and a 57-hectare golf course. Nearly 500 hectares would be Mr Ell yesterday hailed the deci- zoned for environmental protection, sion as a milestone and predicted ap- including 150ha of high conservation provals for a further 5,500 homes in land which would be given to the De- his Cobaki Lakes project would not partment of Environment to add to Living legend: Australia’s most famous motor-racing ace Sir Jack Brabham be far behind, allowing construction the Cudgen Nature Reserve. returned to the 9th annual Festival of Speed on Tweed last weekend where work on either project to begin early He said the government’s actions Legends he lapped up the attention and was kept busy signing autographs for fans next year. would result in further plantings of on a poster of the champion in his heyday. Photo Luis Feliu koala food trees which would ‘likely Region’s future housing double the area of the site usable by aplenty at party and a fireworks spectacular over connections, cars and races. needs koalas’. the river. Festival of Speed on Tweed founder Mr Kelly said a total of 34 condi- festival of Saturday and Sunday saw more Roger Ealand, from Uki, said he was ‘At this stage I can’t say in which tions were attached to the approval than 180 cars, ranging in vintage from probably the only driver to have com- order we will be proceeding, that granted to Mr Ell’s company, Leda, pre-1930 to 2010, contest the time tri- peted in all nine festivals to date. Rog- depends on a lot of factors includ- including demands that the ‘provision speed als on the street circuit with the roars er proudly races his lovingly-restored ing whether the people on the Tweed of essential local infrastructure will be of old and new engines and the smell green 1936 Alvis Speed 25 in the event. want projects like ours to go ahead,’ amply catered for’ and the creation of Luis Feliu of their fuel and exhausts adding to The time-trial event was won by a he said. ‘one and possibly two’ wildlife cor- the heady atmosphere of a grand-prix Brisbane man Alan McConnell driv- Mr Kelly said the site had been ridors. The ninth annual Festival of Speed on style racing event. ing a self-built car on old tyres. Mc- zoned for residential development Mr Ell’s two master-planned devel- Tweed last weekend proved historic Three-time Formula 1 world cham- Connell’s time of 39.48 seconds on since 1988 and was identified in the opments will provide homes for up racing cars going through their paces pion Sir Jack Brabham returned to the the one-kilometre street course, set regional plan as playing an impor- to 25,000 people in the shire’s heav- or simply on show for motoring buffs Tweed again this year for the festival in his 1987 Van Diemen with a Suzuki tant role in meeting the region’s future ily populated north-east corner over are a winning combination. and as usual was popular with specta- motorcycle engine, was fastest by just housing needs. the next 20 years and account for 70 Thousands of visitors joined locals tors who lined up for his autographs 0.4 seconds. Second was Neil Farr in ‘We need to cater for nearly up to per cent of all land zoned for urban over the three-day festival held in of a poster of himself as a young a 1976 Bowin, with last year’s winner 20,000 people in the Tweed area over expansion. perfect spring weather on Murwil- champion driver. Bill Norman a further 0.04 seconds the next 20 to 25 years’, Mr Kelly said. They’ll be in addition to 1,600 new lumbah’s temporary street track and Sir Jack, 84, told The Echo he loved behind in third place in his G.E.K. ‘This project will significantly go homes Mr Kelly approved on the for- showgrounds, with the Friday lunch- coming to Murwillumbah for the sports car. towards providing that housing stock mer Terranora Lakes Country Club time street parade of more than 80 festival, with many fans rekindling McConnell said he loved the Tweed that’s needed here, particularly as the continued on page 2 cars followed by a nighttime street his memory about some of his past continued on page 6 FO FOR MORE IN VISIT: www.sae.edu CALL: 1800 723 338 <echowebsection=Local News> Local News Council ‘needs to lift fees’ on bigwould raiseprojects their annual rates Cr Polglase, who had earlier to fund the infrastructure as ticular was an important factor warned Mr Kelly the council Ken Sapwell the Premier has suggested. in his backflip last month over may impose a freeze on ma- ‘In the absence of a rate rise the contribution cap. jor developments in the shire to meet the funding gap, the Planning Minister Tony Kelly Mayor Warren Polglase, worth billions of dollars unless infrastructure would not be has credited Tweed Council who met with Mr Kelly last he lifted the cap, said he didn’t provided and these projects for his change-of-heart over a month to join a growing cho- believe the council’s demands will flounder with land devel- freeze on developer contribu- rus of councils protesting over for increased contributions opers going out of business.’ tions. the freeze, said the decision The devil is in the detail Mr Kelly said the coun- would stall the project. meant the council would be He said if the cap per house cil’s strong opposition to the Arbitrary cap Are numbers your thing? exercising its new-found right lot had stayed it would create He said the arbitrary cap un- $20,000-a-block limit for so- to negotiate a higher amount Do you have a particularly sharp eye for detail? called section 94 charges con- an intolerable financial burden dermined 20 years of strategic Do you have an excellent grasp of the specifics of from Leda. on existing ratepayers, leading real estate industry accounting? vinced him to lift it to $30,000 planning, putting at risk plans to rate rises of more than 50 If so please contact Unique Estates Australia. and allow councils to negoti- Cost of infrastructure to increase the population ate higher contributions with per cent. from around 85,000 to 125,000 Unique Estates is a real estate agency specializing in ‘It will cost the council more developers. ‘This may seem to be a over the next 20 years. luxury property sales and rentals across Australia. We are than $30,000 a block to pro- He said the high costs of pro- windfall for the big develop- ‘We welcome his decision to seeking a bookkeeper for two days per week to work vide the necessary infrastruc- viding roads, sewage and water ers of the massive urban re- lift the cap but now we want it from our offices and expertly manage our books. ture to the site,’ Cr Polglase Applicants with a positive and energetic approach to connections to green field proj- lease areas in the shire, but the indexed to cover the increase said. their work will be highly favored. Please email your cv to government’s actions are likely in construction costs which ects like Kings Forest in par- ‘We don’t know exactly how [email protected] to have the opposite effect,’ he are rising faster than a lot of much more, our planners are told a recent council meeting. other items which make up the revising the figures and when t Accredited high quality care in a ‘It is unlikely that any coun- consumer price index,’ he said. Northern Rivers home environment they’re finished we will start cil, including the Tweed, Family Day Care t Supported by the largest scheme negotiating with company.’ in NSW (from page 1) t Flexible hours t available Township for 10,000 approved t Childcare benefi t Become a carer and work from home nancial support t Free training & fi provided TWEED 4 Park Street Tweed Heads Phone 07 5536 1865 LISMORE 150 Laurel Avenue Lismore Serving the Community since 1980 Phone 02 6621 6437 ‘A division of Northern Rivers Childcare Services Inc.’ UNIQUE BUSINESS Planning Minister Tony Kelly (centre), Tweed mayor Warren Polglase and Labor MLC for Tweed OPPORTUNITY Amanda Fazio at the eastern end of the site last Friday of the new township for 4,500 homes Photo Luis Feliu known as Kings Forest.