As one of the fastest growing local government areas in the NSW region, residents of Tweed are encouraged to help guide housing and employment land planning for the next 20 years so that the Tweed is ready for the future.
With the NSW Government predicting a population of up to 112,244 in the Tweed by 2041, this could mean an increase of around 15,000 people on our current population of 97,151 (according to the 2021 census) .
Preliminary consultation will begin this month after Council appointed consultants PSA Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd to prepare a new growth and housing management strategy.
The strategy will provide a clear understanding of how our population and housing needs – and related job creation opportunities – will evolve over the next 20 years in the Tweed. It will also establish planning principles and policy objectives that protect, maintain and respect the County’s natural environment, community expectations, way of life and heritage values.
Tweed Shire Mayor Chris Cherry said the council aims to guide growth in a way that preserves the desirable way of life, strong community, unique character and biodiversity of Tweed and continues to offer residents opportunities to thrive without compromising our internationally important environment.
“Managing population growth and overdevelopment and access to more affordable housing were two of the top three priorities for the next 10 years in a recent independent survey of residents,” said Cr Cherry.
“That’s why it’s so important to join the community in the early stages of preparing this strategy to ensure that we have the right development in the right place to meet the needs of the community in the future. I really encourage the Tweed community to help us understand what they value most about Tweed today and what they hope it will be 20 years from now.
Preliminary consultation on the Growth Management and Housing Strategy includes:
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Community information sessions (online and face-to-face) on Thursday August 25 to help residents learn more about how the strategy will be prepared and the many opportunities for them to contribute and have a say in the future stages of the project. Registrations are essential.
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Online community survey open until September 12 to understand what is important to the community when it comes to housing and employment opportunities in the Tweed.
To register for an information session or take the survey, visit yoursaytweed.com.au/growth-management-and-housing-strategy.
A Project Reference Group has also been established to act as an impartial body of knowledge and technical expertise to support Council decision-making when preparing the Growth and Housing Management Strategy. Members include community members and representatives from Transport for NSW, Biodiversity Australia, Tweed Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Housing Industry Association, North Coast Community Housing, Momentum Collective, Department of Planning and Environment and Gold Coast Airport.
Cr Cherry said Council recognizes that there needs to be a greater focus on housing to ensure community needs are met.
“Our housing needs change as we age. As a community, we need to consider where our changing population will live and what types of housing will be needed to meet these different needs,” she said.
“Affordable housing is also a high priority in the Tweed, particularly following the flooding earlier this year.
“The Growth Management and Housing Strategy will address the issue of housing affordability in the Tweed and establish the need. But, to ensure that we identify practical steps Council could take to address this need, we will also soon begin work on preparing an Affordable Housing Strategy which is currently in the procurement phase.