iPlan - a NSW Government initiative coordinated by
Department of Planning

1.1 Physical Context

1.1.1 Location

The study area for this assessment has been defined by the Tweed Heads Task Force, and is referred to as the Tweed Heads Town Centre. It incorporates the existing business district within Tweed Heads located between the Tweed River and the NSW / Qld border.

The town centre is bounded by the Qld/NSW border (Boundary Street) to the north, The Tweed River to the east, Dixon Street to the west and Florence Street to the south. It also includes the area east of Wharf Street between Brett Street and Florence Street.

1.1.2 Regional Context

The town centre is located in the far north east corner of New South Wales and is part of a contiguous urban area stretching north of the border which incorporates Coolangatta, at the southern end of the Gold Coast. The town centre covers the traditional business district of Tweed Heads and is divided by Wharf Street, formerly part of the Pacific Highway which links NSW and Queensland.

The area's unique qualities stem from its geographic location and in particular its location in relation to the following key regional features:

• Queensland / New South Wales Border
• Pocket of land North of and adjacent to Tweed River
• Coolangatta
• Coolangatta Airport
• Kingscliff
• Casuarina Beach
• Proposed Salt Development (south of Kingscliff)

1.1.3 Characteristics

Major Land Uses

The Tweed Heads Town Centre contains a broad mix of land uses, with no single dominant use or function. Major land uses include:

• Large showroom and sales activities (including car sales)
• Civic /administrative functions including a hospital, library, university and council offices
• Offices
• Retailing
• Recreational functions - Bowls Club & Twin Towns complex
• Motels and short term accommodation
• A single large hotel complex - Twin Towns
• Parkland and waterfront functions (Jack Evans Harbour Park)
• Residential Precincts

Town Planning & Land Use Opportunities and Constraints

Opportunities

• There are significant land parcels and opportunities for redevelopment throughout the precinct, including the bowls club and Tweed Mall redevelopment.
• Locational benefits. Adjoining the Qld border and being north of the Tweed River with significant views and character presents opportunities to attract development.
• Civic Uses will attract a younger and vibrant population as the services offered by the university expand.
• There is an opportunity to create planning documentation and policy framework based on existing controls to guide future development.
• Outcomes of the town centre study can be incorporated into established principles for the area to enable redevelopment, in particular with support for mixed-use development.

Constraints

Constraints to viable development of the Town Centre area include:

• A number of large, established uses that are internal and non-interactive. Tweed Mall, Twin Towns, the new Twin Towns Towers, and its associated pedestrian bridge are all currently internally oriented entities.
• Too much diversity in land use. There are no defined precincts and there is a clustering of uses of varying sizes and values.
• An unrealistic existing planning "vision"- in particular the "residential and tourist mecca"
• Conflicting or ill-defined land use controls, relating to building setbacks and envelopes. There is a desire for active frontages, yet requirements exist for significant setbacks.
• Triggers and bonus provisions in the DCP. Recent relaxation's and net benefit to the Community should be considered.
• Height Control limits are too dramatic. There is no defined stepping of height limits to avoid dramatic height variances.
• The predominance of a single zone promoting large scale business and sales, which is perhaps not best suited to the future of the area.