Rodney Stevens
The draft Plan of Management PoM for the $18 million Yamba Library and Community Centre on Treelands Drive was debated and adopted at the ordinary meeting of Clarence Valley Council last Thursday.
Councillor Lynne Cairns moved the Council officer’s recommendation, which was seconded by Cr Karen Toms that Council:
- Place the Draft Treelands Drive Plan of Management on public exhibition for a minimum period of 28 days and accept submissions for at least 42 days from the date the plan was placed on exhibition, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1993.
- Finalise and adopt the Treelands Drive Plan of Management as publicly exhibited, subject to no submissions being received that result in any substantial changes or that require further consideration of Council.
- Note that if submissions are received that raise objections requiring further consideration of Council, this matter will be reported back to an Ordinary Council meeting.
Cr Cairns said, “in the Plan of Management it actually says it is not proposed that the facility will be used as an evacuation or temporary accommodation centre during times of natural disasters or other unforeseen circumstances.”
“The business case that went for this actually had it as a refuge centre in alignment with the National Strategy for Disaster Resilience, so is there going to be a problem with this down the track,” she asked.
“It won’t be used as that (a refuge centre) and the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery BLER funding was actually obtained for that.
“Has there been an audit on that building by the Department of Regional NSW,” she asked.
Cr Toms labelled Cr Cairn’s question “out of order” as the PoM would be going out on Public Exhibition and the item on the agenda wasn’t about the BLER funding, “so it’s irrelevant to the actual business before Council today,” which was supported by Mayor Smith.
Then Deputy Mayor Greg Clancy moved a motion of dissent, which was seconded by Cr Cairns against Cr Tom’s point of order.
“My motion of dissent is because it is a relevant matter to be dealt with in the Plan of Management, whether this is an evacuation centre or not,” Cr Clancy said.
“To me that would be a critical part of a Plan of Management, it’s a matter that has to be considered.
“It’s not about the funding, it’s about the function, because if a Plan of Management can’t deal with the function of a building, then what will it deal with.”
Council voted 7-2 against the motion of dissent, with Cr’s Clancy and Cairns in support.
Cr Cairns said she was concerned about the Treelands Drive Community Centre and whether it was ‘fit for purpose’.
“It is identified in the Plan of Management that it is not going to be an evacuation centre, when the BLER funding was obtained for that building as an evacuation centre, or a refuge, as in the funding deed,” she said.
Councillors voted unanimously to adopt the motion.