Developer’s warning to NSW Government over new Tweed hospital

A high-profile property tycoon has sent a warning to the NSW Government, threatening to pull out of a housing project unless a new hospital in a key marginal battleground, is built on his land. READ THE LETTER.

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The high-profile property developer behind the site backed by Labor for the new Tweed hospital has sent a shock letter to the government threatening to pull out of a housing development unless it builds the hospital on his land.

Leda Holdings executive chairman Bob Ell warned that the Nationals would likely lose the Tweed electorate at this month’s election unless the government shifts the long-awaited hospital to his site in Kings Forest — just 3km from the selected location in Cudgen.

The North Coast seats of Tweed, Lismore and Ballina are key marginal battlegrounds for the government in their race to the polls.

Property developer Bob Ell

The Tweed Valley Hospital proposed site on Cudgen Road. Picture: Luke Marsden

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The loss of just six seats will force Ms Berejiklian into minority government.

The seats have historically been safe Nationals territory but the party’s holds on Tweed and Lismore were severely weakened at the 2015 election while they lost Ballina to the Greens after holding the seat for more than 25 years.

The battle for Tweed, held by a margin of just 3.2 per cent, will be a “referendum on the hospital” with Labor campaigning hard on the issue of the Cudgen site being farmland.

Meanwhile Lismore and Ballina will be unusual three-cornered contests between Labor, Nationals and Greens and come down to the wire on preferences.

The letter by Mr Ell, obtained by The Daily Telegraph, was sent to Ms Berejiklian and select ministers on January 23.

Labor's proposed site for the new Tweed Hospital at Kings Forest. Picture: Luke Marsden.

In it he writes that if the government doesn’t build the hospital in Kings Forest he will not build 4,500 lots of homes, create jobs, generate “literally millions” in GST revenue and charge stamp duties, council charges and service a population of 10,000.

He wanted to build the development around a new hospital.

The Cudgen site is State Significant Farmland but was chosen by the government after an exhaustive consultation process.

Independent body Health Infrastructure was twice instructed by the government to consider all options and advise them which was best with Cudgen being selected both times.

Health Infrastructure identified Kings Forest as inappropriate due in part to the koala population and it being “flood-prone” but in the letter Mr Ell dismissed concerns about his land as “contrived”.

Mr Ell’s letter to the Premier and Coalition ministers …

Mr Ell describes the decision to build the hospital at Cudgen as a “mistake”.

Leda Holdings has historically been a Labor donor — between 1999 and 2007, Leda Holdings and another subsidiary business donated a total of $204,280 to NSW Labor.

Records showed Leda donated $25,000 to the Liberals in NSW in 2000 and again in 2007 and small amounts to the Nationals in Queensland.

Donations from property developers are now banned in NSW.

In the letter Mr Ell says his land should be used for a hospital plus “related development” on an adjacent 32 hectares.

“Without a decision to locate the hospital at Kings Forest I will not be commencing residential development. Were it to be chosen as the hospital location, however, the site can be delivered in accordance with the firm commitments we made,” he writes.

“The first residential sites would be produced and marketed before the hospital opens, the rollout of the 4,500 lot yield and everything required to service a population of some 10,000 lifting the local economy, creating thousands of jobs and generating literally millions in GST revenue, State stamp duties and local Council fees and charges.”

Labor candidate for Tweed Craig Elliott. Picture: Luke Marsden.

Mr Ell also writes that not backing his site will likely cost the Nationals the seat.

“Good publicity generated will appease antagonists to the selected site and enhance the prospect of the state seat of Tweed being retained in March. Maintaining the current decision can only be expected to have the opposite effects.”

A spokesman for Leda Holdings confirmed it would not be commencing residential development at Kings Forest but could build in other areas.

“One of the criticisms against the Kings Forest site has been the concern about when the residential development would proceed. The letter clearly explains that should the site be selected for the new hospital the residential component can be delivered in accordance with commitments we made in our submission.

“We do not make donations to political parties but Leda representatives may attend various party functions from time to time and these are across the board for no specific group.”

Labor candidate Craig Elliott said the election was a “referendum on the hospital” with voters furious about the Cudgen site.

Planning Minister Anthony Roberts said Labor’s decision to “bypass planning processes is shocking, but unsurprising”.

“The NSW Government takes the planning process very seriously. All development applications are rigorously assessed based on their individual merit,” he said.

“Labor is already answering questions about their relationship to party donors and development applications, and their obsession with the Kings Forest site is simply adding to those questions.”

Chelle Osborne, 34, and son Oliver, 5, waited for 4 hours at Tweed Hospital before giving up and travelling to Gold Coast Hospital. Picture: Luke Marsden.

The Cudgen site is part owned by local farming dynasty the Pritchard family who sold it to the government.

Kingscliff personal trainer Chelle Osborne, 34, was forced to drive to the Gold Coast when her son Oliver, 5, was sick because after a four hour wait at the current Tweed Hospital.

Ms Osborne said the area desperately needs a new hospital but it shouldn’t be built at Cudgen.

“I just wish it wouldn’t go there because from growing up here you drove in that way and there was the farm … it’s just really sad it’s going to change the way it feels coming into Kingscliff and the traffic going out.”

“Kingscliff is a quiet country beach town and that will take away that feel.”