ENE SC THE TWEED N E Volume 2 #27 E Thursday, March 18, 2010 R Advertising and news enquiries: G Phone: (02) 6672 2280 Fax: (02) 6672 4933 [email protected] [email protected] www.tweedecho.com.au LOCAL & INDEPENDENT PAGEPAGE From Uki to Nepal, LEP ‘removes with love protection’ Ken Sapwell heights to 13.6 metres, virtually add- ing an extra storey. Buildings will be higher, environ- ‘Documents attached to the draft mental protection land will be more LEP basically admit that these chang- than halved and native vegetation will es aren’t the result of reshaping the not be adequately protected under current provisions to fit the state- Tweed’s draft shire-wide Local Envi- driven changes aimed at bringing in a ronment Plan (LEP). standard format for LEPs throughout That’s the startling conclusion NSW,’ said Mr James, whose reputa- reached by former long-serving coun- tion remained intact following the cillor Henry James after an in-depth council’s sacking in 2005. study of the draft LEP 2010 which will guide the shire’s future development Changes far from ‘minor’ over the next 10 years. ‘In my view these changes are far On Tuesday, Tweed Shire Council from “minor” as is claimed in the adopted a mayoral minute extend- same accompanying documents Lee Jessamy, left, Wilma Maddern and Carolyn Jones, right, with some of the colourful quilts made by Uki locals and ing the deadline for submissions for and there is no material accompa- friends for the families of students at a poor rural school in Nepal. Photo Luis Feliu both the Tweed Heads and shire-wide nying the public exhibition which LEPs from March 31 to April 30. attempts to justify these very signifi- Luis Feliu else they can help the school with. 60 kids going there now, most of them Mr James, a former member of cant changes.’ ‘I was on a trip over there two years children of people who could not af- council’s vegetation management In the case of changes to the build- Student numbers at a poor rural ago and saw how desperately poor ford to send their kids to school, they committee and noted environmental ing heights provisions, he said there school in Nepal have doubled recently they were and that anything really were too poor,’ he said. watchdog, says the documents ac- was no material being exhibited which and some will be warmer thanks to would be a help, so I asked our tour One of the group, Carolyn Jones, companying the draft LEP fail to spell attempts to explain how the increase the generosity of a group of Uki resi- group leader if we could help in any said her ‘little local knitting club’ got out some of the more radical changes in allowable building heights would dents and friends. way and he told me his village badly together to help the school, as she said on the drawing board. lead to better planning outcomes. The Ram Rudra Primary School needed a new school as the kids were they knew that with Lee behind it all, ‘In a nutshell, the draft LEP propos- In regard to the proposed hands-off in the Himalayan foothills town of sitting on the floor,’ Lee said. the funding would get to the school es a great reduction in areas zoned for approach to native vegetation clearing Pokhara had barely enough furniture and used properly. environmental protection and coun- in environmental zones, there is evi- for its 20-odd pupils and couple of Extremely generous ‘We had a fabulous response, some cil’s powers to control pre-emptive dence that the reduced protection was teachers 18 months ago, but now has ‘So I said that’s fine, we’ll do that. I people would drop off a square and clearings by land-owners seeking re- mainly due to changes by the NSW grown to over 50 students and five asked him to send me some photos we wouldn’t have a clue who they zoning,’ he said. Department of Planning after it con- teachers as a result of $17,000 funding and I returned a year ago with some were, lots of Uki women got in- He said a document relating to a sidered a draft sent to it by council. from cash donations from Uki locals, funding as the school needed fixing volved, neighbours Ida Daly and Kim draft amendment to the soon-to-be Under the draft now on exhibition, who also made, or helped make, a up, but what hit me was the extreme- Hollingworth sewed many of them superseded LEP 2000 states that en- the council would have no power to bunch of brightly-coloured blankets ly generous people around here, one up, we’ve knitted quite a few blankets, vironmental protection zones will be require application to be made to clear and quilts for student families. person gave $1,000 in cash and others quilts and throws since Christmas,’ slashed from 13,600ha to just 5600ha environmental protection zones and Tomorrow (Friday) one of the continually keep contributing, so now she said. and will provide no meaningful pro- so would have no power to control brainchilds of the project, Lee Jes- the school’s twice the size. Longtime project contributor Wilma tection for native vegetation. clearing that pre-empts applications samy, of Rolands Creek, leaves for ‘A lot of the kids are from low-caste Maddern, of Wooyung, praised Lee for The draft LEP would also increase for development or rezoning. Nepal with two friends and a parcel families and can’t afford books but ‘doing all his homework on this, saying the allowable heights of buildings ‘The draft LEP is grossly inconsis- of nine lovingly crocheted patchwork with this funding they’ve managed to ‘we just saw a video which pointed out quite significantly by allowing build- tent as a result of state government quilts, throws and blankets to meet put on three extra teachers, buy tables for every dollar we contributed, a dol- ings in villages and towns with a rules governing the preparation of the staff and students and see what and chairs, books and pencils. 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AUTOQLDN03352 <echowebsection=Local News> Local News Milne rebuked over rally donations Ken Sapwell Cr Milne told the panel she declaring anything that had a lation to fundraising activities had forwarded any donations value above a token gift. by the No Rally Group to as- Embattled councillor Katie she received to a fund-raising She was supported by Cr van sist me in meeting court costs Where do you get Milne has been censured by entity, the No Rally Group, and Lieshout who accused her of that I incurred during the com- colleagues after a conduct re- that the use of her council Post bringing the council into dis- munity campaign against the view panel found she wrongly Office box was an oversight repute and warning her she Repco rally,’ she said. your copy? received money to help pay which was quickly remedied. risked being sacked as a coun- ‘I acknowledge the report If you don’t receive The Echo at home or the weather court costs associated with But the panel found that cillor. found ‘a technical breach of the is too bad for house to house delivery, pick up a her failed legal bid to stop last rules require any gift or benefit ‘When it comes to lowering code for forwarding funds to copy of your Echo from the following places: year’s car rally. which cannot be refused or re- the dignity of the council you the No Rally Group that were Banora Point: Banora Point Mooball: Moo Moo Stitches The three-man panel upheld turned must be disclosed and make us look like a circus and given to me instead of directly Shopping Village, Chris’ Paradise Mount Burrell: Store a complaint from Kingscliff surrendered to the council. I feel betrayed. We are made to that group. Fruit Shop, Tweed Heights Mullumbimby: Echo offi ce resident Barbara Fitzgibbon ‘Cr Milne did not return to look like idiots,’ she told Cr ‘Strangely, it seems the panel Shopping Centre IGA, Zaraff a’s that Cr Milne breached coun- Coff ee in Banora Central Murwillumbah: Echo offi ce, Bulk the money to the donor, nor Milne, before suggesting that felt that I should have sent this Whole Foods, Caldera Environment Bilambil Heights: Stores cil’s code of conduct which did she disclose it,’ the panel she could soon be in hot water money to Tweed Council’s Centre, Magic Mountain Health prohibits councillors from Burringbar: Real estate agent and Foods decided after several days of again. general manager, rather than service station seeking gifts or accepting any Pottsville: IGA Supermarket, investigation.