By NIKKI TODD
THE site for a high school at Pottsville’s Seabreeze estate remains on the drawing board, while the location of a proposed town centre in the suburb has been moved to a larger site.
Tweed Shire councillors at their most recent meeting unanimously supported a new draft development control plan (DCP) for Seabreeze which retains a six-hectare site proposed for a new high school.
Developers originally earmarked vacant land bordering Tom Merchant Dve and Seabreeze Blvd as a site for a potential high school but last year sought to re-zone the land for housing after the NSW Department of Education and Communities (DEC) refused to purchase the lot.
But residents, who continue to lobby the DEC for a high school to be built in the coastal town, rallied against the change, arguing any rezoning would further deter the building of a new school.
Councillors have since agreed to retain the school zoning, placing a five-year review period on any rezoning of the site.
At the most recent meeting, councillors also agreed to support the shifting of a proposed town centre for the estate, with the new site to be located beside the pond on the eastern side of the intersection of Tom Merchant Dve and Seabreeze Blvd.
At 4,432 square metres, the new site is almost double the existing site earmarked for a town centre some 300m to the west along Seabreeze Blvd.
The DCP restricts the use of the town centre to convenience shops and day-to-day services including a general store, milk bar, fruit shop, hairdressing salon, café, video outlet, childcare centre, medical centre and the like.
Cr Warren Polglase said it was important to maintain the school zoning.
“We’ve got to maintain the site for a school,’’ Cr Polglase said.
“The Education Department are saying they don’t want it but you never know when things might change.
“The developer is disappointed in what we are doing but I just think we have to protect and look forward to the future, that is what we are doing at this stage.’’
Pottsville Community Association president Chris Cherry welcomed the new draft DCP, saying it was a win-win for residents.
“We strongly support retaining the high school site and not adjusting the review period,’’ Ms Cherry said.
“We are really happy council supported the community on that.’’
Ms Cherry said the community would continue to fight strongly for a new high school in Pottsville, arguing the size of the local state primary provided sufficient reason to do so.
Construction of a second primary school at Pottsville is expected to begin later this year.
The Catholic school, to be known as St Ambrose, is expected to open in 2015.
The new draft DCP for Seabreeze Estate will be placed on public exhibition soon.
