New plans for permanent animal pound and rehoming centre
13 July 2020
South Murwillumbah site identified to house modern purpose-built facility for the Tweed
A new site has been identified for a permanent animal pound and rehoming centre on Council-owned land at South Murwillumbah.
Following investigations, the site, which is near to the former Council tip site off Lundberg Drive, is set to house a purpose-built pound facility from mid-2022.
The site is also being assessed as part of a joint development application with a private landowner which will produce a series of industrial lots and land for Council activities including the new animal pound and rehoming centre. This will require additional planning and construction approvals.
Previously a Council-owned site in Eviron had been earmarked for the new pound, but additional studies have determined that this site had too many constraints.
It had also been anticipated that from mid-2020 Council would have commenced operations at a publicly accessible temporary pound and rehoming centre on leased private premises in Dulguigan until a permanent facility was completed. However, following the identification of a range of issues and concerns raised in the public submissions and an initial Council assessment of the development application for this site, which would necessitate major building and site upgrades, it was decided to withdraw the application and not proceed with this temporary proposal.
Until a new pound and rehoming centre is established from mid-2022, the current temporary arrangements will continue with impounded animals cared for at a privately-owned boarding kennel at Tygalgah (near Murwillumbah). These arrangements have been in place since September 2019.
The Tygalgah facility is not open to the public and owners of impounded animals will need to contact Council on 02 6670 2400 to arrange collection.
Council will continue to work closely with not-for-profit animal rescue charity Friends of the Pound to ensure as many animals are rehomed in the Tweed as possible. President Sonia Trichter said Friends of the Pound was delighted with the newly identified permanent pound site.
“We are very supportive of the site identified in South Murwillumbah and look forward to the construction of a new modern animal pound and rehoming facility. We’ve also been pleased with how the temporary arrangements at the Tygalgah site have worked over the past 10 months,” Ms Trichter said.
Anyone looking to adopt a pet should continue to view the animals available for adoption on the Friends of the Pound website or their Facebook page.
Director Planning and Regulation Vince Connell said Council is taking all steps and efforts to ensure current high standards of service and care of impounded animals are maintained.
“Keeping animals is a big responsibility and roaming animals are at risk of being impounded resulting in fines and holdings costs. It’s important that all dog and cat owners register and microchip their pets and check that all details are up-to-date,” Mr Connell said.
“If your pet does happen to go astray, the first thing you should do is call our customer contact team on 02 6670 2400. They will be able to tell you if your pet has been impounded and talk you through the steps for collection.”
The former pound at Stotts Creek closed on 25 September 2019 to allow for the expansion of the Waste and Resource Recovery Centre. For more information visit www.tweed.nsw.gov.au/Pound.