Council meeting Update - 10 December 2024

Here is an overview of outcomes from tonight’s Ordinary Meeting of Tamworth Regional Council:

• In a move aimed to support families and youth, Councillors tonight endorsed a Notice of Motion from Councillor Jeff Budd to trial free access to pools across the region during this summer. Cr Budd said in his motion that “access to and cost of access…is a big issue”. He advocated that the “social capitol and community engagement” benefits of the initiative would outweigh any loss of income. The motion also requested a report be presented to future Council meeting after the end of the trial.
• As the region continues to experience a shortage of childcare options, Councillors tonight took a step towards helping meet demand by granting development consent for a new 122-place childcare centre in Moore Creek. The development consent is subject to a range of conditions that will go towards alleviating the traffic and noise concerns of some nearby residents. The scope of works includes the consolidation of three lots into one and the construction and landscaping of the facility in Eagle View Estate, Moore Creek. The proposed centre will operate Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 6pm and will include seven separate playrooms, various administration, staff and meeting areas, kitchen and laundry spaces, as well as two outdoor play areas and a carpark with 25 spaces.
• In alignment with Local Traffic Committee recommendations, tonight Council voted to approve the proposed signage and line marking plan for the Carthage Street Pavement Rehabilitation project. This includes edge lines, centre lines and barrier lines, a righthand turn lane at the White Street and Carthage Street intersection, a change in parking configuration on the southern side of Carthage Street between Fitzroy Street and White Street (to remove a deviation in the road and improve sight distance for drivers), repositioning of disabled parking bays in front of North West Eyes (for easier access) and pedestrian safety improvements. Council has secured funding for pedestrian safety upgrades through the NSW Government’s Road Safety Program.
• Councillors tonight agreed to request the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure to amend the Dwelling Density Map associated with Arcadia Estate, Hillvue, in response to a minor boundary adjustment proposed by the developer. The proposed adjustment will result in a minor change to the boundaries of the two major lots that comprise the eastern section of the Arcadia precinct to align with the future residential subdivision layout. The adjustment will only affect the shape of two lots, with the area of both lots remaining unchanged. As a result of this proposed change, the Dwelling Density Map in the Tamworth Regional Local Environmental Plan 2010 (TRLEP 2010) needs to be updated to reflect the new lot boundaries. These changes are administrative only and will have no effect on land use planning controls within the TRLEP 2010.