iPlan - a NSW Government initiative coordinated by
Department of Planning

The town centre economic strategy encompasses a variety of diverse initiatives pertaining to the entire town centre area and to its individual precincts. It would be costly and potentially inefficient to attempt to implement all of these recommendations simultaneously.

The experience of other town centres and mixed-use developments shows that some initiatives should take priority because they provide one or both of the following benefits:

• They facilitate orderly planning
• They act as catalysts for desired development and investment in the town centre, thereby reducing the need for public sector funding.

Five areas of assessment and planning are recommended as first priorities:

Establishment of a dedicated town centre management team is considered the first step in the program. The team should have an initial mandate of at least 12 months to ensure continuity and stability. Its main objectives are to:

• Define a vision for the town centre based on the economic strategy and the objectives of stakeholders
• Promote the vision and strategic plan to existing and potential future stakeholders
• Oversee development of a master plan as a foundation for planning
• Implement the master plan
• Identify and seek funding for required investment in public works to facilitate growth, and in initiatives to attract private sector investment
• Implement and manage initiatives to attract desired private sector investment
• Establish required planning instruments
• Co-ordinate and integrate development within the town centre
• Evaluate progress and make required revisions to plans as necessary
• Co-ordinate town centre marketing

A master planning study is essential to translate the economic strategy into a workable land use plan, and to identify the planning instruments that should be modified or introduced to achieve the desired outcomes.

A master plan has additional importance in the Tweed Town Centre because substantial land use changes are recommended for the town centre core, and because developers have identified existing zoning provisions and development conditions as a major deterrent to viable development. The master plan will provide the land use framework for the town centre core and the specific planning instruments that will enable the desired development to occur efficiently and within a reasonable time frame.

Also of great importance is that a master plan will provide common terms of reference for the town centre's development, thereby reducing uncertainty and its associated risk, and enabling stakeholders to share in the vision of what the town centre can be.

One factor that successful town centres share is a significant local resident population. On-site residents are the foundation of a vibrant, active urban centre, and they are a stable market for a range of local retail and commercial facilities. Furthermore, they lend credibility to the area as a visitor destination.

The advantages of residential development in the town centre are reinforced by the demand generated by regional population growth, and the latent demand for new residential development within the town centre. It is expected that planning revisions will create substantial opportunities to capture a share of the growth that is currently being directed to other locations in Tweed Shire and the Gold Coast.

Therefore a recommended key objective of planning instruments is a concentration of medium and high density residential development should be focussed in and around Bay Street between Wharf Street and Thomson Street. A secondary focus should be on residential development along Stuart Street.

The highlighted need for extended stay accommodation from students and their families, Tweed Heads workers, conference attendees and visitors to the bowls club indicates an opportunity for such facilities in the town centre core and / or the civic / education / hospital precinct. The available premises are currently fixed to at least a six-month lease or are targeted to provide cheaper holiday accommodation.

Extended stay accommodation such as a Uni hotel would serve dual purposes in providing for both visitors and short-term residents of the area. It is also expected that such accommodation will include meeting rooms and thereby contribute to attracting smaller-scale meetings and conferences to the town centre.

Accordingly, planning instruments should specifically encourage accommodation.

The town centre precinct sits on the doorstep of one of Australia's largest tourist markets, but is unable to secure a significant share of that market because it lacks reasons for people to visit.

It is recommended that as a first priority, an assessment is undertaken of the viability of creating a lagoon-type area within the existing Jack Evans Boatharbour. The lagoon idea has been implemented successfully in Cairns, Townsville and Airlie Beach in varying natural settings and environments. This feature is envisaged as the centrepiece of a revitalised waterfront park precinct with associated facilities for families and visitors that would offer a strong alternative to Coolangatta's beaches for both visitors and local residents, and provide an iconic recreation destination as another source of appeal of the town centre.

The success of this precinct will also:

• act as a catalyst for the desired redevelopment of Tweed Mall's Bay Street frontage
• improve the viability of shops and services along adjacent parts of Wharf Street
• become a focus for a proposed improved riverwalk linking Duranbah Beach to the civic/education/hospital precinct

As this development would be substantially publicly funded, the Task Force or other appropriate body must initiate studies to determine whether the proposal is feasible and appropriate.