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13 October 2023

Flood restoration funds for Council Depot and other community assets

Playgrounds, sports fields, roads, community halls included in funding

Male Albert's Lyrebird in breeding display

Mayors from across the Northern Rivers joined Lismore MP Janelle Saffin and Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot in Murwillumbah today to welcome the $121 million funding package, which includes $26 million for the Tweed. Pictured from left: Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry, Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon, Janelle Saffin, Kyogle Deputy Mayor Tom Cooper, Justine Elliot, Clarence Valley Deputy Mayor Jeff Smith, Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader and Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg. BELOW: An artist impression of the new Tweed Works Depot to be built thanks to $10 million in funding from the Infrastructure Betterment Fund.

Artist impression Tweed Works Depot

Tweed Shire Council today welcomed $26 million in funding from the Australian and NSW governments to help restore and improve community assets damaged in the 2017 and 2022 floods.

The funding was announced in Murwillumbah today by Federal Member for Richmond Justine Elliot and Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin and is included in a $121 million package for the North Coast through the Infrastructure Betterment Fund and Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Package – Community Assets Program.

Under the Infrastructure Betterment Fund, the Tweed has been awarded $10 million to relocate the Council Works Depot from its current location in Buchanan Street at South Murwillumbah to land above the flood level in the new industrial estate in South Murwillumbah, under Council’s Land Swap Program.

An additional $15.5 million has been granted to Tweed Shire Council under the Community Assets Program (CAP), which will be used to help repair, restore and improve a suite of community facilities in the Shire, including:

  • Roads, car parks and pathways – 15 projects located at flood-affected sportsgrounds and parks at Bilambil, Kingscliff, Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah, Uki, Pottsville, Terranora

  • Public toilets and shelters – 15 projects at flood or storm-affected public toilets at Murwillumbah, Chinderah, Chillingham, Fingal Head, Pottsville, Casuarina, Kingscliff 

  • Parks and playgrounds – 6 projects at Budd Park (Murwillumbah), Overall Drive (Pottsville), Saddle Way (Murwillumbah), Turnock St Park (Chinderah) and Sweetnam Park (Uki). Shade sail works in 4 locations combined with play equipment upgrade in Cudgera Creek Park (Hastings Point)

  • Community buildings and halls – 3 projects at Crabbes Creek Community Hall, Tumbulgum Hall, Tweed Heads Community Centre

  • Erosion repair works – 2 projects at Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads

  • Landslip repair work at Illawong Crescent, Terranora

  • Clubhouses and sports fields/amenities – 9 projects at Bilambil East and West, Tumbulgum, Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads.

Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry welcomed the announcement, saying it was a game-changer for the Tweed’s flood recovery.

“We are very grateful to be granted almost $26 million in flood recovery funding from the Australian and NSW governments today,” Cr Cherry said.

“Without this funding, we simply would not be able to afford the repair and restoration of so many of our community assets – it would take us years to be able to fund such an extensive program.

“Our flood restoration team has been hard at work since the 2022 flood, completing more than 2,500 damage repairs to date with almost 1,000 damaged sites still to repair – and that is just on our roads network. To get a feel for the size of the job, to complete these over the next 2 years, we’re effectively starting 10 jobs every week – that’s a huge job for our staff.”

Tweed Shire Council General Manager Troy Green also welcomed the funding, saying $10 million for the Council Depot would have lasting benefits for not just Council but also the wider Tweed community.

“This Infrastructure Betterment funding will bring about generational change for the Tweed as it will enable us to rebuild our Works Depot off the floodplain and allow us to respond to any future natural disasters in a much more timely manner,” Mr Green said.

“In the 2017 flood, we lost much of our machinery as the Depot was flooded. And in 2022, while we were better prepared and managed to move our machinery to higher ground, the Depot was still inundated and took considerable effort by our crews to salvage the materials we were not able to move.

“This funding will allow us to get cracking on building a new Depot at our new Land Swap development in the new industrial estate in South Murwillumbah. Once that is completed, it means our crews – as well as other emergency service providers - will be able to respond quickly to any future natural disasters.”

A development application for the new Depot has been approved, with tenders for building contractors to be issued soon, with the aim of starting work as early as June next year.

For more information, including the full list of successful projects, visit the Infrastructure Betterment Fund website and the Community Local Infrastructure Recovery Package – Community Assets Programs website.

Flooded Works Depot
Tweed Shire Council's flooded Works Depot in Buchanan Street, South Murwillumbah after the February 2022 flood. Council is planning to build a new works depot off the floodplain.

Downloads

Photo 1: Flood funding announcement
Caption: Mayors from across the Northern Rivers joined State MP Janelle Saffin and Member for Richmond Justine Elliot in Murwillumbah today to welcome the $121 million funding package, which includes $26 million for the Tweed. Pictured from left: Tweed Mayor Chris Cherry, Byron Shire Mayor Michael Lyon, Janelle Saffin, Kyogle Deputy Mayor Tom Cooper, Justine Elliot, Clarence Valley Deputy Mayor Jeff Smith, Ballina Mayor Sharon Cadwallader and Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg.

Photo 2:  Proposed Works Depot
Caption: An artist impression of the new Tweed Works Depot to be built thanks to $10 million in funding from the Infrastructure Betterment Fund.

Photo 3:  Flooded Works Depot
Caption: Tweed Shire Council's flooded Works Depot in Buchanan Street, South Murwillumbah after the February 2022 flood. Council is planning to build a new works depot off the floodplain.

Connection to Council’s Community Strategic Plan:

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Tweed Shire Council wishes to acknowledge the Ngandowal and Minyungbal speaking people of the Bundjalung Country, in particular the Goodjinburra, Tul-gi-gin and Moorung – Moobah clans, as being the traditional owners and custodians of the land and waters within the Tweed Shire boundaries. Council also acknowledges and respects the Tweed Aboriginal community’s right to speak for its Country and to care for its traditional Country in accordance with its lore, customs and traditions.
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