City of Coffs Harbour Council rejects foreshore vote – again

THE Jetty Foreshore was the subject of an extraordinary City of Coffs Harbour meeting on Monday 30 June called by councillors Paul Amos, Julie Sechi, Tony Judge and Jonathan Cassell.

Cr Amos began the two-and-a-half hour meeting by moving a motion (seconded by Cr Judge) containing three points:

1. For Council to confirm it wishes to work closely with the State Government for the best outcomes to be achieved for the revitalisation of the Jetty Foreshores, and to keep the community informed

2. To note that the local aboriginal elders group, the Garlambirla Guyuu Girrwaa, are opposed to the proposed rezoning of lands at the Jetty Foreshores and feel they have not been consulted in a meaningful way

3. To revisit comments about the identification of potential errors with regards to traffic movements and parking in the proposed rezoning made at the 12 June meeting.

The motion was lost five votes to four.

Cr Judge then put forward a motion (seconded by Cr Amos) that Council note that the 68.68 percent of formal votes in the 2024 Jetty Foreshore poll opposed multi-level residential development; the strong, consistent and enduring community opposition to the NSW Government’s proposal to privatise public land at the Jetty Foreshores for residential development; and the growing frustration in the community that it is not being heard by the NSW Government.

The motion also called for the Minister for Lands and Property and the Minister for Planning and Public Spaces to be invited to attend a town hall meeting in Coffs Harbour, where they can hear directly from the community and make their case for the Jetty Foreshores development.

This motion was also lost five votes to four.

A motion put by Cr Cassell and seconded by Cr Judge then combined elements of the previous two, adding consideration of coastal risk management.

Again, the vote was five against to four in favour.

Councillors Amos and Judge then put forward a motion that stated, “That Council note that the ratepayers of Coffs Harbour are not considered aware enough to answer a simple poll question accurately.”

This was amended by Councillors Fowler and Cecato to, “That Council acknowledge that the community required information on the Jetty Foreshores Poll to suit the complexity of the planning issue and the implications of the poll were not adequately explained.”

This was passed five votes to three with one abstention.

The question put to voters at last year’s local government election was, “The Coffs Harbour Jetty Foreshore will be redeveloped. Do you agree that some of the foreshore land should be used for multi-level private residential development?”

After the meeting, Cr Judge said, “I had the privilege of reading a statement from Reg Craig, the senior Garlambirla elder for the Jetty Foreshores lands.

“He called on the Council to keep those lands in public hands.

“Regrettably, the Council decided against supporting his call.

“The motion adopted by Council disrespects both the electoral process and the capacity of Coffs Harbour residents to make an informed decision.

“I find that incredibly disappointing.”

Cr Amos said, “I struggle with the opinion that councillors were smart enough to understand the [poll] question but our general population [was] not.

Mayor Nikki Williams said that only supporting the “No” position discredits the whole poll process, especially considering the initial state-led consultation showed strong support for the Jetty precinct revitalisation.

“It highlights the need for fair and balanced communication to empower the community to make up their mind from an impartial position.

“Only then could the poll result be considered an appropriate form of Council community engagement.

“A project of this size and importance should never be reduced to a single question, as the City’s community engagement strategy details that engagement methods must suit the complexity of the issue and explain the implications.

“I commend our City staff’s technical submission, which does exactly what good planning should.

“It recognises the strengths of the project and how it aligns with Council’s own strategies, while also addressing community concerns around traffic, access, and the need to strengthen cultural heritage protections and design controls.

“I hope many in our community took the opportunity to follow the process and put forward their own submission to the State planning team.

“As Councillors, our focus should be on looking forward, continuing to represent our whole community and directing our efforts toward delivering positive outcomes across the entire LGA.”

Cr Cassell said, “The extraordinary meeting was an attempt to hold the NSW Government accountable on four important issues.

“Namely, delivering on their business case, meaningful consultation with Garlambirla Elders group, traffic congestion and parking problems, and legitimately accepting the 2024 election poll result where almost 70 percent of the Coffs Harbour community voted No.”

By Andrew VIVIAN