Tweed Council has adopted the Coastal Design Guidelines to assist in Planning Design. Together with NSW Coastal Policy and The Far North Coast Regional Strategy, it mandates to protect existing character – environmental dominance and the unique qualities of Hastings Point.
Our trees create this character, this dominance. They break building form from the sky. This is best seen along Sth Coast Road from our northern vantage points – the road, footpath, the bridge, the boatshed, beach (boatramp/BBQ area) and the estuary – see below and our treeline page.
Building 3 storey buildings will destroy this. This is contrary to:
1. the Law – as above.
2. Tweed Council evidence presented in the Land & Environment Court – 21 Coast Road case.
3. Commissioner Moore’s finding in this case - 3 storey contrary to Coastal Design Guidelines.
4. The majority community wishes broadcast loud and clear.
5. Ruker & Tweed planners’ position to protect the treeline Northside. Inadvertently missed perspectives from the North to the South at workshop.
6. NSW Dpt of Planning recommendations.
7. The evidence now witnessed by Tweed Planners – a 10 m pink flag above and below (attached to rear of house at 41 Coast Road well inside property). It clearly depicts how such building height will destroy the treeline which sits
- above and behind the Central Precinct.
- at rear of building form along Sth Coast Road.
It does not take much to imagine how the character, the green space to the sky, the environmental dominance will be irretrievably lost (not just altered) if we allow buildings to enter this important green zone.
The Community demands that Ruker & Assoc and Tweed Planners respect the law, the evidence and the wishes of the community.
This issue will not go away until the right thing is done.
This does not mean designing a contrary height through a specific urban design study which then destroys that which the law aims to protect.
Page 73 of the Coastal Design Guidelines – Building height should be maintained below the tree canopy thereby retaining and ensuring a consistent visual setting across the settlement
Tweed Planners visited and viewed the pink flag from all varied locations. They recognised that 3 storey, 10 m buildings clearly eliminate existing treeline & greenspace to sky, pierce the tree canopy and destroy existing character.
This is Hastings Point centre – one little corner shop and residences opposite central park and estuary on east and west. There is no commercial centre to justify 3 storeys. Pottsville has no 3 storey in non- commercial zone – same should apply to HP.
As Ms Ruker says – we need to protect our natural vistas from our different vantage points shown above and below. Policy and law demands this.
Again – an uninterrupted tree canopy down south coast road. No house sits above the treeline. To change this with 10m buildings (pink flag) – irrevocably alters the existing visual setting which provides the environmental dominance of HP.
DO THE RIGHT THING – ITS LONG OVERDUE!!!
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Clearly we need to enforce the law and stop overdevelopment of the coastal area.