Councillor Warren Polglase calls for Tweed Mayor Katie Milne to step down after hospital opposition
A veteran councillor has called for Tweed Mayor Katie Milne to step down after she maintained her stance against the location of a new Tweed Valley Hospital.
Gold Coast
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A VETERAN councillor has called on the mayor of Tweed to step down after she flagged ongoing opposition to the location of the new Tweed Valley Hospital.
Member of the Nationals and former mayor Warren Polglase said he was “disgusted” by Greens Mayor Katie Milne’s stance against the $534 million project in the wake of the NSW State Election.
Cr Polglase said Cr Milne “should step down” because she “can’t understand what her responsibilities are”.
“I’m actually disgusted because it doesn’t represent what the election was all about,” he said.
“The election was about building the hospital. The people have spoken, made their decision and the mayor’s defying the decision given by the majority of the people.
“I think most of the community are disgusted that council give consideration to continuing on with this sort of action.
“Let’s go and fill a few more potholes.”
Nationals Member for Tweed Geoff Provest retained his seat at the March election after promising to forge on with construction of the nine-storey hospital at 771 Cudgen Road, Cudgen, at the cost of a portion of State Significant Farmland.
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However, Cr Milne – who has physically protested against the Cudgen site – has said the hospital “did not meet the requirements of planning legislation”.
She has pointed to the current Tweed Heads Hospital site or Kings Forest, about 20km southwest of the chosen site, as viable options, instead of building on farmland near relatively sleepy coastal towns and villages.
In response, Cr Polglase slammed Cr Milne and said he was opposed to spending “thousands and thousands and thousands of dollars still challenging Health Infrastructure NSW on the location of the hospital”.
“It’s misinformation. The hospital will meet the requirements under the DA (development approval). Council have very little input into that process,” he said.
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There’s no way that I will commit thousands and thousands of dollars again for the council to fight the government. It’s over and the mayor should realise the community has spoken and she should abide by their decision.
“She was on site (at Cudgen) with the protest material. There’s a better way to negotiate than standing around with a sheet of galvanised iron trying to protest.”
The selection of the Cudgen site by the State Government sparked significant division in the Tweed and galvanised opposition from community groups with thousands of members.
But one of the hospital’s most vocal opponents, Relocate Tweed Valley Hospital From State Significant Farmland, has called it a day and conceded “all possible actions” had been taken to “save this piece of land”.
Originally published as Councillor Warren Polglase calls for Tweed Mayor Katie Milne to step down after hospital opposition
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