TWEED"S "SALT" BEACH DEVELOPMENT MORE LIKE "SHIFTING SANDS" SAYS ENVIRONMENT GROUP

Tuesday, 27 August 2002 10:00

"A proposed 73 hectare beach front development in Kingscliff, which includes a 213 apartment hotel run by a Hawaiian outfit, 160 houses, a huge shopping centre and 300 car parking spaces, plans to pump more than half a million cubic metres of sand from the Tweed River over the site to raise the houses for ocean views," said Fran Kelly, - Total Environment Centre's coastal campaigner

"I cannot believe the backers of this development proposal are serious. Have things become so blatant, so bad in the Tweed that there is now a manic dive to the bottom, a collective suicide by those wanting to destroy every last inch in the Shire before someone steps in and stops it."

"This latest Kingscliff beachfront concept is to be called "SALT" - a village life by the sea. It would be more true to form to call it Shifting Sands - destruction by the sea," said Ms Kelly. "Is this for real. Have any of those pro development councillors and developers heard of beach erosion, or unstable foundations," said Ms Kelly.

"The proposal extends north of an existing overdevelopment - along another 1.2 kms of beachfront, backing onto Cudgen Creek and up to dunes in front. Nothing should be built near dunes - they're the natural protection for the land against the sea. This development should not be allowed to go ahead in any form let alone in this half-baked fashion involving the dredged bottom of the Tweed River," said Ms Kelly

"The sheer audacity of developers in the Tweed now is mind boggling - pumping river sand to raise house site views beside a beach is hard to believe but sadly seems to be a serious part of this proposal. The development must be stopped," said Ms Kelly.

"Once again we will call on the NSW Government to take over the planning reins at Tweed Council, once again we will ask it to step in to ensure another highly inappropriate development does not go ahead when the DA is submitted," said Ms Kelly