NSW GOVERNMENT WIMPS OUT AS TWEED APPLIES ZERO TOLERANCE TO ITS NATURAL COASTLINE

Monday, 28 April 2003 10:00

The Total Environment Centre has accused the new Planning Minister Craig Knowles of "wimping out" by failing to prevent Tweed council from continuing to approve extreme overdevelopment, most recently the highly controversial "Salt" development at Kingscliff.

"The worst council on the NSW coast is applying a kind of "zero tolerance" to its natural coastline by encouraging and passing every overdevelopment that comes before it, and the State Government has failed to call in an obvious target against the advice of its own local MP and many others" said TEC Coastal Campaigner Fran Kelly.

"The Salt development will be highly destructive to the stretch of coast along which it will be erected. Its approval will mean a development involving the dredging and pumping of more than half a million cubic metres of sand from the Tweed River and the creation of almost an entire new town along fragile dunes will go ahead, despite all countering advice and an already over-developed Tweed," said Ms Kelly.

"This is all about greed and complete disregard for the natural environment. Next in line for approval are further subdivisions over natural habitat at Koala Beach."

"About 80% of Tweed's native vegetation on the coastal plain has been removed already, how much more is the Council willing to exchange for concrete and how much longer will the NSW Government fail to do anything about it?" said Ms Kelly.

For further information contact Fran Kelly or Jeff Angel on 9299 5599/5680