‘Tough meeting’: Rescission motion to buy Jetty Foreshore land defeated at Coffs Harbour council meeting

Coffs councillors have voted down a move to try to buy prime land flagged for the NSW government’s contentious Jetty Foreshore Precinct Revitalisation project.

An aerial view of the Coffs Harbour jetty, marina and foreshore. Picture: The Coffs Coast Advocate/Trevor Veale

Coffs councillors have voted down a move to try to buy prime land flagged for the NSW government’s contentious Jetty Foreshore Precinct Revitalisation project.

Recently-elected City of Coffs Harbour Mayor Nikki Williams believes it’s now time to move forward and grasp a “huge opportunity” to get involved with the state plans.

A rescission motion put forward by councillor Tony Judge was defeated five votes to four at Thursday’s council meeting.

The motion was backed by councillors Julie Sechi, Paul Amos and Jonathan Cassell, while Ms Williams and Gurminder Sato, George Cecato and Cath Fowler and Les Oxford voted it down.

Councillors Julie Sechi, Paul Amos, Jonathan Cassell and Tony Judge.

If the motion passed, the council would have reapproached Local Government Minister Ron Hoenig with an application for consent to acquire land.

In mid-October, the council voted to ditch the application to acquire two lots at the foreshore.

Ms Williams said it was a “tough meeting” on Thursday.

“But we walked out of that meeting as a whole better connected and in a better place than when we went in,” she said.

Ms Williams said the city has a prime opportunity to be at the table as the state moves forward with the Jetty Foreshore Precinct Revitalisation.

Four of the five councillors who voted against the rescission motion. Mayor Nikki Williams and councillors Gurminder Sato, George Cecato and Cath Fowler.

“We need to have a voice and we need to stop screaming from outside the building and actually be inside at the table and working,” she said.

Ms Williams said she believed the city’s role moving forward was to advocate for the community, while supporting and collaborating with the state on the project.

Earlier, Mr Judge said the almost 70 per cent of the community voted against multi-story private residential apartments in the area at a Local Government election poll – and they had “every right to feel angry and disappointed”.

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Originally published as ‘Tough meeting’: Rescission motion to buy Jetty Foreshore land defeated at Coffs Harbour council meeting