By TANIA PHILLIPS
AFTER months of speculation, a development application for the new Tweed Police Station and Court House has been lodged with Tweed Shire Council according to State Member for Tweed Geoff Provest.
Mr Provest, Parlimentary Secretary for Police and Emergency Services, welcomed the development application for 83 Wharf Street, in the middle of the Tweed Heads CBD on the current site of Supre, which ends months of uncertainty caused after plans to build a new station and police headquarters on Marine Parade in Kingscliff were scuttled in the courts late last year.
“I support it – very much so – it’s been a long time coming,” he said.
“I believe it will be of great benefit to the hard-working men and women of the NSW police force and be a great asset to the local community.
“I think it’s great news for Tweed police – this was first mooted back in 2009 and they are currently operating in outmoded, cramped conditions. And I’m a firm believer in giving the police the resources to keep our community safe.”
Mr Provest stated that the whole planning process was controlled by professional police department employees that specialised in police assets and they were seeking the community’s input.
The new site will see the police return to Wharf Street. The Tweed Police Station was originally located where the Twin Towns Resort is. They moved to their current location in Recreation Street in the mid-’70s.
Tweed Mayor Barry Longland said the location had suprised him.
“It was a surprise when I heard they were locating it there,” he said.
He said after the Kingscliff site had been over-ruled the council had made some suggestions for alternate locations throughout the shire but this site had not been mentioned.
Development application DA13/0520 is for an Integrated Development – Police Station and Court House development in two stages (JRPP) including demolition of all existing structures on the land and the erection of proposed three-storey police station (Tweed/Byron Local Area Command) and Court House (Tweed District Court), incorporating underground (basement) carparking, works including landscaping, signage, civil works, dewatering of basement and awning over public footpath and consolidation of allotments into a single lot.
Mr Provest, who had been elected to office on a platform of increased police presence, said in August that negotiations were almost complete on securing new land for the command and that emphasis had been placed on finding a location in the Tweed CBD.
The total project cost is estimated at $22 million with land and demolition while construction costs are estimated at $15 million.
The police station plans are currently on public display and calling for public comment on the Tweed Shire Council website and will then go through to the Joint Regional Planning Panel.
