Clarence Valley Council held its monthly Ordinary Council Meeting on Thursday 20 March 2025 at the Maclean Council Chambers.
After the disruptive start to the meeting by a number of attendees, one Notice of Motion was considered, followed by 10 of 22 items debated and the other 12 adopted by consent in a meeting which lasted two hours and 48 minutes.
Cyclone Alfred
Councillor Peter Johnstone submitted a Notice of Motion at the March Ordinary Council Meeting acknowledging the hard work of Council staff, the NSW SES and all additional state and federal agencies who worked tirelessly to keep our community safe from Thursday 6 March.
The Motion also proposed writing to the NSW Premier, Chris Minns and the Minister for Emergency Services, the Hon Jihad Dib MP, urging to reconsider the Grafton Regional Airport as the preferred site for future development as an Emergency Services Coordination Centre.
Councillor Johnstone's motion said Cyclone Alfred once again showed that Lismore is vulnerable to natural disasters and would have been a poor choice in a natural disaster due to its low-lying location, poor transport links and likelihood of being cut off by flood waters.
In comparison, Grafton Airport is situated just off the Pacific Highway, is on high ground, near a railhead and has good communications. In addition, there will shortly be a new state-of-the-art Fire Control Centre located at the airport.
The Notice of Motion was supported unanimously.
Draft Community Strategic Plan and Draft Community Engagement Strategy on public exhibition
Clarence Valley residents are urged to review the Draft Community Strategic Plan and Draft Community Engagement Strategy and make a submission to ensure the documents reflect the community's aspirations for the next 10 years in the Clarence Valley.
The Clarence Valley Community Strategic Plan, The Clarence 2036, is the highest-level plan that Council will prepare under the Integrated Planning and Reporting Framework and describes how we will achieve the vision for the Clarence Valley, in line with our community's goals, priorities and aspirations for the next 10 years.
From August to October 2024, Council asked the community what is important for the future of the Clarence Valley via social media, websites, and drop-in sessions in 11 locations across the Clarence Valley as well as phone surveys.
Additionally, Council is required to prepare a Community Engagement Strategy (CES) to support development of all plans, policies, programs and key activities. Council has developed the CES based on the IP&R Guidelines and Handbook and as best practice has combined the CES with the Community Participation Plan (as per the EP&A Act).
Both documents are now available for public comment on Councils website at where residents can provide feedback and find more information on upcoming engagement sessions - www.clarence.nsw.gov.au
South Grafton Indoor Pool and Boyd Nattrass Complex
Councillors supported the officer's recommendation to seek expressions of interest to dispose of the South Grafton Pool and Boyd Nattress Complex by way of sale with a report to come back to Council on the response to the expression of interest.
Council had received noticed to conclude the contract for the management and operation of the South Grafton Indoor Pool and Boyd Nattrass Complex from the current manager as of 11 April 2025.
The complex, which was opened in 1981, includes a 25 metre six lane indoor pool, a hydrotherapy pool, outdoor toddler pool, gymnasium space, kiosk, change rooms, gymnastics area, and fitness area.
Councillors considered four options for the facility. These include:
- disposal by sale or Expression of Interest
long term lease
- rezoning and sale of land for commercial purposes
- demolition and sale of unimproved land.
Welcoming visitors to the site are wrought iron gates with the words "War Memorial Baths" along the top. The style of the gates is standard of iron work dating from the late 1950s to the early 1960s when the gates were donated by the South Grafton RSL Sub-Branch. Council has received a request from the South Grafton RSL Sub-Branch to have the gates relocated to Lane Boulevard Park where the cenotaph is located and where memorial services are held in South Grafton.
The officers recommendation also supports relocating the gates to Lane Boulevard in consultation with the RSL Sub-Branch and within planning requirements.
Clarence Valley Local Housing Strategy approved
The Clarence Valley Local Housing Strategy has been endorsed by the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure after Council received a letter from the Department commending Council on its significant efforts and commitment to strategic planning for the Clarence Valley.
The Department's letter provided conditional approval recommending the removal of planning intervention 13 – Palmers Island and to make some minor technical corrections.
The reasoning for the removal of the planning intervention 133 – Palmers Island is stated as follows: 'As this land is highly flood prone and subject to riverbank erosion, mapped as regionally significant farmland and located within the sensitive coastal strip, use of this land for permanent housing is not consistent with the state and regional planning framework'.
The approval letter also recommended further investigation into the planning interventions identified in the strategy and ongoing collaboration with NSW Government agencies for the successful implementation of the Local Housing Strategy.
The endorsed strategy can be found on Councils website and the NSW Planning Portal's Local Housing Strategies Tracking following the Council meeting.
Draft Plan of Management for Treelands Drive Reserve on exhibition
A draft Pan of Management has been prepared for the Treelands Drive Reserve, Yamba to facilitate the management and use of the new Yamba Library and Community Centre and carpark. The preparation of a plan of management is a statutory requirement of the Local Government Act 1993 for land classified as 'Community'.
The Treelands Drive Reserve comprises of Lot 3 DP 1203064 and Lot 22 DP 124921 which is owned and managed by Clarence Valley Council and is classified as community land, categorised as General Community Use and is zoned SP2 infrastructure under the Clarence Valley Local Environmental Plan 2011.
The motion was carried unanimously.
The Draft Plan of Management will be on exhibition for a minimum of 28 days on Councils website at www.clarence.nsw.gov.au/on-exhibition
