Outgoing council puts Shack and stilt homes in too-hard basket
THE Tweed Shire Council has deferred two controversial decisions, dumping the matters into the lap of a new council to be elected early next month.
There was standing room only as more than 70 people crammed into the chamber yesterday to witness the debate on the future of Fingal Head’s popular roadside cafe-gallery, the Sheoak Shack.
Also up for debate was a proposal by Tweed developer Ken Noble to erect an extra 32 manufactured homes on stilts over water on the northern side of the Noble Lakeside park.
Mayor Barry Longland used his casting vote to force a deferral on the matter, saying it was too controversial for a council that was in care-
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his taker mode. The Shack’s owner Andrea McKay – the sister of Greens councillor Katie Milne who excused herself from the chamber during the debate – applied to extend the cafe’s trading hours and to delete a requirement for three on-site parking spaces.
Councillors last month deferred a recommendation by officers to refuse the application, voting instead to hold a workshop and give Ms McKay more time to address the parking concerns.
Yesterday, to loud applause from the chamber, councillors voted unanimously to again defer their decision to allow the Shack until October to conditions.
Cr Longland said he did not want to see the cafe shut.
‘‘I want to see the issue deferred. I don’t want to see the Sheoak Shack closed,’’ he said.
The development proposal by Mr Noble to erect an extra 32 manufactured homes on stilts at his Noble Lakeside park was recommended for approval by officers but met fierce resistance from residents fearing a loss of amenity and other effects of the project.
Cr Warren Polglase, the manager at Noble Lakeside, declared a pecuniary interest and removed
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parking himself from the debate. Cr Longland was forced to use his casting vote to support a motion to defer the decision until the next council meeting, saying it was too important to be made during caretaker mode.
‘‘I believe when we are in caretaker mode we should a v o i d decisions of such a controversial matter,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ve been to the site on a number of occasions and I’m very uneasy about approval.’’
The meeting was the final one for Cr Joan van Lieshout and Cr Kevin Skinner – both former mayors of the current term.
The election is on September 8.