Three new hospital sites

Work to start this week on finding Tweed solution

INVESTIGATIONS will begin this week on three new sites for the controversial $534 million Tweed Valley Hospital.

Speaking to a crowd of more than 200 people at the Tweed Daily News Hospital Community Meeting last night, Tweed Valley Hospital project manager Peter Lawless said of 25 proposed alternative sites three had been short-listed.

They are Kings Forest, a 11,000 person housing development west of Casuarina; a Chinderah site and another along the Tweed Coast Road.

“Investigation work on those sites will start this week,” Mr Lawless said at the meeting at the Tweed Civic Centre.

“We are executing permit documentation with the property owners now and expect reports to come back in two weeks.”

In the crowd at last night’s meeting were doctors; members of the Relocate group, which is opposed the Cudgen proposal; Tweed councillors; and members of Save Our Hospital.

The Tweed community has been at loggerheads over the NSW Government’s recommendation to build the hospital on Cudgen Rd. Those against the bid say the property should remain farm land.

After the opposition, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard opened a six-week public consultation period, taking suggestions for an alternative site.

Mr Lawless said about 180 submissions were received in the timeframe. Of the responses, 44 per cent were against the Cudgen Rd site, 32 per cent approved and 24 per cent neutral.

Mr Hazzard said the Cudgen site was no longer a certainty. “We are here to talk about the process and the other three sites,” he said.

Relocate group organiser Hayley Paddon introduced herself as the wife of a sweet potato farmer and said the Cudgen land should be kept as State Significant Farming Land. “Farms on the Cudgen plateau are viable and should remain so,” she said. “Why built a hospital on State Significant farm land.”

Later, her husband, James Paddon, asked a question preferenced by stating that building a hospital would affect neighbouring farmers.

“In my mind everyone wants this hospital ASAP. Why wouldn’t you put it in an area that’s already zoned for development?”

Mr Hazzard did not answer the question, saying: “I think it is difficult, particularly for those folk. I don’t know if you are but by the sounds of your surname you are one of the people involved in farming on that (Cudgen) site.

“The owner of the land, who is apparently now in Bundaberg, had actually put that site up (for sale) in Cudgen.

“I don’t know what your arrangements are for that land but it is disappointing you weren’t involved in it earlier and engaged in the discussions. I am sorry about that.”