Tweed Shire Council - Tweed Planning Documents

In 2004 Council adopted the Tweed 4/24 Strategic Plan 2004-2024 (181kb), also known as Tweed Futures.
It provides the strategic policy framework and visionary direction for the future management, protection and development of the Tweed. The Plan has six main strategic themes:

Promoting sustainability as an over-arching goal
Strengthening the economy
Supporting community life
Caring for the environment
Managing rural change
Managing urban development

The Plan also provides direct strategic direction for the implementation of important programs and policies, such as the new Draft Tweed Local Environmental Plan 2010.

At its meeting of 17 March 2009, Council resolved to adopt the Tweed Urban and Employment Lands Release Strategy 2009, the culmination of a major investigations required by the DOP as follow up action to the Far North Coast Regional Strategy 2006, setting new housing and employment targets for both the region, and each of the regional councils over a 25 year period (2006 to 2031).

A copy of the final adopted Strategy can be viewed by clicking the links provided below (due to its large size the document has been split into 4 parts).

Urban Land Release Strategy Introduction (1.10mb)
Urban Land Release Strategy Section (8.11mb)
Employment Lands Strategy Section (13.80mb)
Public Consultation and Submissions Section (225kb)

Tweed Shire Council, through the Tweed River Management Plan Advisory Committee (TRMPAC), commissioned Patterson Britton and Partners (PBP) to carry out a Bank Management Study and prepare a formal Management Plan to address the issues of existing and on-going bank erosion and morphological changes of the Tweed Estuary, including the Rous River up to Kynnumboon, Terranora Inlet, Terranora Creek, and the entrance to Cobaki Broadwater.

Download the Tweed River Estuary Bank Management Plan 2000 (675kb)

The Tweed Vegetation Management Strategy 2004 (TVMS) is a substantive document that up-dates the earlier 1999 Strategy, providing information about the status of the Tweed’s vegetation, and includes:

a description of the Tweed Local Government Area;
the context and relationship of the Strategy within the broader legislative framework;
revised and detailed vegetation mapping;
existing and proposed frameworks for the management and conservation of remnant vegetation;
identification and mapping of remnant vegetation and vegetation communities;
a methodology for the ecological criteria and assessment of the ecological status and sensitivity of remnant vegetation that draws on recognised comprehensive assessment processes;
an overview of threatened species in the Tweed context and generally;
information on soil and water landscapes;
investigation of socio-economic and cultural heritage (including Aboriginal values);
issues associated with the management and rehabilitation of remnant vegetation;
strategic directions and recommendations for implementing a new comprehensive framework; and
reflects on the values placed on the environmental landscape identified through the resident and tourist survey undertaken as part of the Tweed Tourist Strategy and Tweed Shire 2000+ Strategic Plan.

How was the TVMS 2004 prepared?

What is the purpose and objective of the TVMS 2004?

Purpose:

To minimise conflict and dual regulation between Tweed LEP 2000 and the New South Wales Natural Resource Management Reforms introduced by the State Government in 2003;
To enable more efficient and transparent land management practices;
To foster holistic and equitable approaches to managing ecological processes and significant natural areas in Tweed;
Enable greater environmental protection, economic development and improved social or cultural conditions; and
To improve the mechanisms for the conserve and protection of the Tweed’s unique biological diversity, scenic quality and ecological integrity.

Objectives of the Plan:

To compliment vegetation clearing controls and provisions contained in the Native Vegetation Act 2003 and to reinforce the role of the Northern Rivers Catchment Management Authority and Natural Resource Commission as natural resources managers within the Tweed;
To minimise the impact of new development on significant natural areas and steep land through appropriate planning controls;
To identify and protect natural areas with high ecological, scenic or cultural value;
To retain and improve the condition of the Tweed’s natural assets for future generations; and
To streamline the ability for land managers to undertake routine land management practices that are likely to have minimal adverse environmental impact consistent with the provisions of the Native Vegetation Act 2003.

How is the TVMS 2004 being implemented?

The TVMS 2004 acts as the environmental study to support amendments to the Tweed LEP 2000 which are aimed at facilitating the recommendations and actions contained in the Strategy. The amendments were originally being sought through Draft LEP Amendment No.21 and are now being implemented through the Tweed Shirewide Draft LEP 2010. The TVMS is primarily a strategy to inform plan-making, however it also plays a significant role in development assessment.

Some key elements of the Plan’s implementation are:

The plan amends the 7(a), 7(d) and 7(l) Environmental Protection Zone boundaries under Tweed LEP 2000, which will be combined into a single zone called the 7(a) Environmental Protection (Significant Natural Vegetation/Wildlife Habitat) Zone.
The plan proposes reducing the area of land affected by the Environmental Protection Zone, particularly in the western areas of the Shire. The area of land zoned Environmental Protection will decrease from approximately 13,600 hectares to 5,500 hectares in direct response to the natural resource management reforms by the State Government.
The new 7(a) zone is generally concentrated within the Tweed coastal area where there is more accurate information on flora and fauna and where there is greater development pressure on remnant bushland and habitat compared to other areas of the Shire.
The Plan introduces a new Shire wide map entitled ‘Tweed Local Environmental Plan 2000 – Catchment Map’. The map is based on mapping of bushland in the Shire under the TVMS 2004. The mapping of bushland as part of the Tweed LEP 2000 introduces a trigger for the assessment of development applications lodged with Council to ensure Council assesses the significance of vegetation/ wildlife habitat in rural and undeveloped urban (Greenfield) zones prior to clearing approval for a particular land use. It is important to note that residential lots equal to or less than 4,000 square metres and commercial/retail zones will not be affected by the provisions of the Catchment Map.
The Plan brings into affect amendments to Section A10 of the Tweed Development Control Plan (Exempt and Complying Development). The proposed amendment to the DCP introduces a number of clearing exemptions. T he clearing exemptions avoid the need for Council approval in circumstances where the clearing is likely to have a minimal environmental impact or where clearing is undertaken to avoid natural hazards eg, bushfire. These exemptions will operate in both rural and urban areas.

TVMS 2004 Documents

Following the earlier preparation of a “Draft Tweed Retail Strategy” document by consultants Core Economics, and in conjunction with a determination of DA for extensions to the Tweed City shopping centre, Council resolved at its meeting of 16 November 2005 the following seven principles as a Retail Strategy for the Tweed Shire:

“The character of existing towns and villages and the retail facilities they already have be protected.
Where appropriate, Council will support the incremental expansion of existing retail centres in such a way as not to threaten or fracture those existing centres, rather than building new ones.
Reinforce Tweed Heads south as the major district retail centre by encouraging the expansion and when Tweed's population demands that increased range and level of shopping.
Maintain and wherever possible enhance the special appeal of the retail centre of Murwillumbah and those village centres of similar style.
Limit the scale of new large scale retail centres in the coastal region to a level which caters for the majority of chore type shopping needs. This concept to reflect the need to reduce fuel consumption and to support sustainability within each centre through discouraging vehicle use and encouraging walking and cycling.
Council does not support the establishment of another district retail shopping centre.
The retail concepts in these recommendations form the basis of locality plans in the Shire and any retail development applications which are submitted in the interim of these locality plans being prepared and approved by Council be assessed so that the above retail strategies are supported and not compromised.”

Tweed Planning Documents

The Bigger Picture

Local Planning Documents

Other Existing Policies and Codes

Other Previous Planning Investigations