By TANIA PHILLIPS
PLANS for stage two the $1 million Tweed Heads CBD Streetscape upgrade have gone on display at the Tweed Shire Council.
The plan is aimed at completely revitalising the CBD at Bay Street between Sands and Enid Streets and Wharf Street between Florence and Frances Streets.
The work will bring Bay Street and the remaining area of Wharf Street up to the same level of streetscaping as Wharf from Griffith to Frances Street.
Work is scheduled to begin early next year and will see more shade trees planted along pedestrian routes and next to car parking, making the two sites more pedestrian friendly and rationalise and improve car parking.
The Tweed Heads Chamber of Commerce and Industry cautiously welcomed the upgrade.
“This project aligns itself with the Chambers’ objectives and we are supportive of the original Tweed Heads’ Streetscape master plan created by ‘Landplan Studio’ back in 2007 on the condition that the total funds from the round five allocation are invested in this project,” Chamber vice president Warren Polglase said.
“The history of this incomplete project is well documented and any delays in the bureaucratic process to ‘kick start’ the Tweed with a fresh coat of paint and streetscaping would be met with disappointment from the executive and our members.”
Mr Polglase said Chamber would be making a submission to council as the original discussion they had didn’t have any final plans for Wharf Street.
“The beautification plans of Wharf (street) are encouraged by the Tweed Chamber but not at the expense of existing car parking spaces,” he said.
The plans now show the loss of around five car spaces which will be replaced by ‘blisters’ that will incorporate shrubs or small tress which we will strongly be discouraging in our submission especially given that the LAC and courthouse could be built across the road on the Supré site.
“Car parking spaces in this vicinity are at premium in peak times and there are approximately five tenancies vacant in the area currently,” he said.
“If these premises were full parking would be stretched so we would encourage TSC to have a ‘no loss of existing car spaces’ (policy) in Wharf Street, the same approach they took in Bay Street.”
The plans are currently on display at the Tweed Shire Council Offices at Tweed and Murwillumbah, submissions must be received by 5pm, 28 October.
