Our Tweed Vision

A review of housing controls in the Tweed enters its second stage today, as Council again asks the community what it wants homes to look like in the future.

Stage 2 will give the community another month to comment on the Tweed Housing Code, which determines what types of homes can be built in what areas of the Tweed, setting the standards for all aspects of design.

Visit the Housing Code page to find out more and participate in the forums and surveys.

Two discussion papers were released on Monday 14 May, seeking the community’s feedback on building envelope controls and ancillary developments.

Building envelope controls include setbacks, heights, floor space ratio and site coverage, while ancillary development includes such items as carports, swimming pools and fencing.

This follows four discussion papers on housing design which were released in mid 2011 to seek community feedback on appearance, response to climate, locality and reflection on natural amenity.

"The key question is how flexible do people want these controls to be," Tweed Shire Council Director of Planning and Regulation Vince Connell said.

“Flexible regulations allow owners to create homes which meet their needs, expectations and aesthetic desires, however, this should be balanced against protecting the overall amenity of the Tweed.

“Small variations in such controls could allow a significant change in the character of the Tweed," he said.

"All six discussion papers will be open for comment during this engagement period, which runs from Monday 14 May and until Tuesday 12 June."

The discussion papers explain changing trends, perceived issues and possible options for future amendment to the Tweed Development Control Plan.

Mr Connell said the building design and construction industry would be engaged directly for input and all community comment was welcome.

“This is an issue that is close to home for everyone who lives or owns residential property in the Tweed,” he said.

“Not only does it have the potential to affect the homes they live in, it stands to have a dramatic effect on how the Tweed’s residential areas look in years to come.”

Click here to view copies of all the discussion papers, which are also available on Council’s corporate website at www.tweed.nsw.gov.au. Printed copies are available to view at Council’s Customer Service Centres in Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads.

A community survey to improve transport in the region is being conducted by Sustain Northern Rivers (SNR), an alliance of organisations including Tweed Shire Council.

The survey, which closes on 28 February, aims to identify how people travel within the region and what stops them from getting to where they want to go.
SNR says previous transport studies and strategies do not provide enough information about demands for transport in the region and what needs are not being met.

"We know public transport in the region is limited and that we are reliant on cars, which makes us vulnerable to rising fuel costs," it says.

The survey can be completed online by clicking here or visiting the Regional Development Australia Northern Rivers website

For further information, contact Regional Development Australia CEO Katrina Luckie on (02) 6622 4011 or info@rdanorthernrivers.org.au

Students from three Tweed Shire high schools gather at a recent forum to discuss some of the key issues raised so far during the Speak Out campaign to create a Tweed youth strategy.

A total of 39 students from the Kingscliff, Murwillumbah and Wollumbin high schools attended the forum, staged at Murwillumbah Golf Club by Tweed Shire Council representatives and consultants from Cred Community Planning.

They discussed several issues raised during the Speak Out campaign, including safe communities, alchohol and drug use, public transport, Knox Park and including young people in public discussions and decision making.

"These topic arose regularly during the community engagement campaign staged earlier this year," the Mayor of Tweed, Barry Longland, said.

"It was terrific to bring these students together to further these themes and discuss some solutions."

Students from three Tweed Shire high schools gather at a recent forum to discuss some of the key issues raised so far during the Speak Out campaign to create a Tweed youth strategy.

A total of 39 students from the Kingscliff, Murwillumbah and Wollumbin high schools attended the forum, staged at Murwillumbah Golf Club by Tweed Shire Council representatives and consultants from Cred Community Planning.

Click here to see photos from the forum.

They discussed several issues raised during the Speak Out campaign, including safe communities, alchohol and drug use, public transport, Knox Park and including young people in public discussions and decision making.

"These topic arose regularly during the community engagement campaign staged earlier this year," the Mayor of Tweed, Barry Longland, said.

"It was terrific to bring these students together to further these themes and discuss some solutions."

The students were divided into four groups to address each of the themes, with each group then presenting their recommendations to the entire forum.

Their recommendations included:

Knox Park:

• Improve lighting.
• Relocate the skatepark to make it more visible.
• Clean up the pond.
• Involve young people to stage events to bring people to the park.
• Free wi-fi outside the community centre.

 Transport:

• Restore train services.
• A ferry service down Tweed River.
• Provide a youth transport service.
• Make bus stops safer and more visible.
• Provide transport that crosses into Queensland.

Safety and civic pride:

• More access to non-judgmental help for young people with drinking and drug issues.
• Get drugs out of schools and parks.
• Involve young people in the design of their indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Enliven parks with activities and programs to get them more activated and safer.
• More physically demanding play areas for older kids.
• More safe places for young people to hang out.

• More activities, programs and events including young people.

Decision making:

• Develop an ambassador program in which a young person from each school is the information source for students at their school. Provide training, a mentorship and rewards for participation.
• Have young people on committees at Council.
• More youth forums. But have them on a night when any young person can come. Make them fun, with music and other activities.

Click here to see full lists of the forum feedback.

Issues and solutions raised during the schools forum will be incorporated into the draft Tweed Youth Strategy and Action Plan, which is expected to be completed later this year and will be publicly exhibited early next year.

This consultation has concluded. Your feedback and advice is valued and highly appreciated. Note you are still able to view feedback and associated documents.

Young people in the Tweed will have an unprecedented chance to highlight the issues important to them, through a Council study into youth issues launched on 2 July.

"Our young people are a strong, creative and energetic part of our community and the Speak Out campaign will ask young people what they want to see happen in the Tweed, to help ensure they have a strong future," Council's Youth Development Officer, Sylvia Roylance, said.

"We want to work with them to find out about their strengths and issues, as well as the challenges and opportunities to address them.

"We want to learn what facilities, services and activities would make the Tweed a better place to live, particularly for people aged 12 to 24."

Young people in the Tweed will have an unprecedented chance to highlight the issues important to them, through a Council study into youth issues launched on 2 July.

"Our young people are a strong, creative and energetic part of our community and the Speak Out campaign will ask young people what they want to see happen in the Tweed, to help ensure they have a strong future," Council's Youth Development Officer, Sylvia Roylance, said.

"We want to work with them to find out about their strengths and issues, as well as the challenges and opportunities to address them.

"We want to learn what facilities, services and activities would make the Tweed a better place to live, particularly for people aged 12 to 24."

Council is working with consultancy firm Cred Community Planning - which has experience in engaging young people - to create a four-year Tweed Youth Strategy and Action Plan.

"There is a lot of diversity among young people in the Tweed, so we're planning an unprecedented variety of activities to encourage them to provide input," Ms Roylance said.

"We’ll be holding workshops at local schools, doing vox pops on the streets, visiting young people where they hang out and getting young people to give us their ideas on a youth website."

Click here to visit the Speak Out webpage, which enables people to upload videos, photos, stories or poems that describe being a young person in the Tweed.  The most 'liked' entries will be in the running to win an iPad. The website will also allow users to participate in online forums or just have a chat and check out what other people have to say.

The Mayor of Tweed, Councillor Barry Longland, said activities would be held throughout Tweed Shire, to encourage input from the various communities.

"They'll include roving reporters at shopping centres and skate parks on 13 July, giving people the chance to get on film and have their say," Cr Longland said.

"While the campaign focuses on people aged 12 to 24, we are also encouraging input from anyone else with opinions or experience in the needs of young people in the Tweed.

"We are will be working with a wide range of organisations and individuals who provide services or assistance to young people. Planning for the employment, education, health, social and recreational needs of young people is a priority across our community."

Input can also be provided by email to speakouttweed@gmail.com.

A public park in East Banora Point is about to be restored and upgraded and Council is giving the community the chance to say how it should be revitalised.

Council is exploring two options to upgrade Wilson Park, which was partially removed as part of the Sexton Hill bypass project and will be reinstated on a land bridge above the bypass viaduct.

Option 1 includes replacing an existing tennis court with a multi-purpose hard-surface area for a variety of activities.

Option 2 includes retaining and refurbishing the existing tennis court.

Both options would include accompanying play equipment and facilities.

Members of the community have until Friday 6 July to provide feedback on the two options and can complete a survey asking people to indicate their preferred option.

"The scope of works for the original park proposal by Roads

A public park in East Banora Point is about to be restored and upgraded and Council is giving the community the chance to say how it should be revitalised.

Council is exploring two options to upgrade Wilson Park, which was partially removed as part of the Sexton Hill bypass project and will be reinstated on a land bridge above the bypass viaduct.

Option 1 includes replacing an existing tennis court with a multi-purpose hard-surface area for a variety of activities.

Option 2 includes retaining and refurbishing the existing tennis court.

Both options would include accompanying play equipment and facilities.

Members of the community have until Friday 6 July to provide feedback on the two options and can complete a survey asking people to indicate their preferred option.

"The scope of works for the original park proposal by Roads and Maritime Services and the Banora Point Alliance, who are building the bypass, did not mention replacing or removing the tennis court," Council's Manager of Recreation Services, Stewart Brawley, said.

"The court was created by the community and there are residents who would like to see it retained.

"Local residents have presented a folio of suggested park features and the alternative option created by Council is a response to those suggestions.

"Council only has a limited budget for the park upgrade and we are asking the community how it would like those funds to be spent, to provide maximum benefit for the surrounding community."

The survey can be completed online by visiting www.tweed.nsw.gov.au and clicking on Wilson Park under What's New.

Printed versions of the survey and further information can also be found on Wilson Park fact sheets at Council's offices and the Tweed Heads and Kingscliff libraries.

Information is also available by phoning Council’s Landscape Architect, Ian Bentley, on (02) 6670 2400.

A proposal to change the beachfront streetscape in Kingscliff's central business district will be taken directly to the people, with a Council information booth on Marine Parade this Thursday, 7 June.

The booth will be set up in the lot beside the Kingscliff Beach Hotel from 10am to 1pm, to provide information about the Marine Parade concept plans, answer residents' questions and enable people to vote on the proposal to make Marine Parade a one-way street from Turnock Street to Seaview Street.

"We have widely publicised the concept plans and engagement campaign, including the community survey. However, this is a key issue for the vitality of the Kingscliff foreshore and town centre, so the information stall is a further effort to inform the community and enable residents to provide feedback," Council's Civil Design Engineering Coordinator, Warren Boyd, said.

The proposal to make Marine Parade one way between Turnock Street and Seaview Street is currently on exhibition and can be viewed through the 'What’s New' section of Council’s website www.tweed.nsw.gov.au, at Council offices and the Kingscliff Library.

A video outlining the concept plan and an online survey are part of the information provided online. The proposal is expected to eventually create up to 70 new car parks along Marine Parade, addressing a longstanding issue identified through previous community consultation.

It also includes significant street beautification measures including tree planting in pedestrian walkways and islands.

The concept plans have received strong support from the local Chamber of Commerce and Residents’ Association, who have received regular updates as part of community consultation for the project.

The proposal will be on exhibition until Friday 22 June, with community members invited to submit their feedback by 4.30pm on that date.

Community responses to Round 1 of Council's Housing Code review have been released to the public, providing insight to what members of the public think Tweed homes should look like in the future.

As Council continues a second stage of engagement for the Housing Code study, it has published the results of surveys for the initial four Housing Code discussion papers.

They are now available to read on the Housing Code page of this website and can also be viewed at www.tweed.nsw.gov.au. Click here to view the survey result summaries.

Stage 2 of the engagement campaign kicked off this month when Council released the final two discussion papers. It launched online surveys and forums for these two discussion papers and reopened the forums and surveys for the first four papers.

Click here to participate in the online surveys and forums.

"Many survey responses to the first four discussion papers were received by Council during the first stage of consultation in September and October last year," Council Senior Strategic Planner Robyn Eisermann said.

"Council hopes that releasing these survey results to the public will inspire others to offer their input."

She said Council also received a large number of additional comments and written submissions.

"Both the survey feedback and the written comments will be used to inform amendments to the Development Control Plan (DCP), which will be the subject of separate and further community and industry consultation," she said.

Council is investigating a concept plan to upgrade Marine Parade in Kingscliff, from Turnock Street to Seaview Street, which includes making this section of road one-way for vehicles.

Council has developed a concept plan to:

• Make Marine Parade one-way for south-bound traffic.

• Provide additional car parking by utilising the reduced carriageway width.

• Realign the road to discourage speeding.

• Beautify the street with tree planting in the pedestrian walkways and islands.

Council has liaised with the Kingscliff business chamber and residents association to consider the proposal and, after receiving positive feedback from these organisations, is now seeking feedback from the broader community.

The concept plans are on public exhibition from Monday 21 May to Friday 22 June 2012 and community members are invited to provide input during this time.

Extensive community consultation in early 2011 to plan the proposed Kingscliff Central Park revealed Tweed Shire residents overwhelmingly believed there was a need to address a lack of car parking in Marine Parade. The current state of the Marine Parade streetscape was also identified as a major concern.

More recently, pedestrian safety and vehicle speed in the Kingscliff central business district have been raised as issues by the Kingscliff and District Chamber of Commerce (KDCC) and the Kingscliff Ratepayers and Progress Association (KRPA).

Click here to complete the community survey or here to view the fact sheet.

Click here to watch the Marine Parade Concept Plan video.

Council’s Water Saving (Demand Management) Strategy has a range of community education programs on offer, to achieve a permanent reduction in water use.

These community education programs include a rebate for water saving devices and Council is conducting a short public opinion poll to get feedback about the rebate.
Council is interested to know what you think about it and if you have any suggestions. Your answers will be used to help design future programs for the community.

All of your answers will remain anonymous.

We would be grateful if you could take a few minutes to fill out our mini survey by Thursday 31 May 2012.

Click here to complete the survey.

Tweed councillors will again invite residents to have their say, when Murwillumbah hosts its first Councillors' Community Catch-up on Sunday 27 May.

The information stall will be staged at the Murwillumbah Community Market, at the showgrounds, from 9am to 1pm.

The catch-ups are held at community markets throughout the Tweed, approximately once every three months, to give residents a chance to raise any Council-related issues they like.

For more information, contact Council's Communications Officer - Community Engagement on (02) 6670 2751.