Pete Evans-backed Nightcap on Minjungbul development refused by Northern Regional Planning Panel

The fate of a 392-home commune promoted by controversial chef Pete Evans has been decided by an independent planning panel.

Pete Evans is one of many people who have been spruiking the Nightcap on Minjungbul development.

A proposed $39 million commune in the Tweed hinterland has been refused after proponents failed to win over a regional planning panel.

The proposal, known as Nightcap on Minjungbul, is for a rural land sharing community featuring 392 homes over 21 lots, which would be subdivided into 11 lots, over a 1584.34ha area on Kyogle Road at Mount Burrell.

Stage one of the development, which is for the upgrade of an existing private road and associated earthworks, vegetation removal and construction of a site office and storage area, was put before the Northern Regional Planning Panel on Wednesday.

The development was lodged to the Tweed Shire Council on January 14 by NCV Enterprises Pty Ltd, which according to the company documents is directed by 55-year-old Helensvale resident Cherie Frances Stokes.

A development application proposing early works, related to a planned “intentional community” in the Mount Burrell and Kunghur area was before the Northern Regional Planning Panel.

Tweed Shire Council said it would not be supporting the development when it was brought before them in a July meeting.

The development was valued at $37 million when it was lodged in January, which meant it had to be decided at a state level.

However, the Northern Regional Planning Panel in June found it was overvalued by $7 million. 

But at the July council meeting the value was then bumped up again to $39 million.

The council also recently opted out of a policy to allow further developments like Nightcap.

Controversial celebrity chef Pete Evans is one of many people who promoted the commune.

A page on his website states the philosophy of the project is “to get back to the tribal wisdom of living in harmony with Mother Nature as well as the fundamental lore of Doing No Harm”.

Pete Evans showcases Nightcap on Minjungbul.

During the public meeting with the Northern Regional Planning Panel, council development assessment manager Lindsay McGavin reiterated the grounds which the development was prohibited and should be refused.

He said they included proposed land clearing with an estimated cost impact of $27 million, too many dwellings planned for the lot, breaches on population density caps, building on wildlife corridors, not being in public interest and insufficient information in the application.

Solicitor Andrew Gough, on behalf of Ms Stokes’s company, said the developer was not given sufficient opportunity to provide further information to the council.

Mr McGavin responded by saying that was to save the applicant money on the grounds the development was prohibited.

Other issues raised by the council included sewerage, power supply, fire safety and impact on the nearby village of Uki.

But Mr Gough said all those issues would be addressed in full detail in future staged development applications.

“This is a concept development application,” Mr Gough said.

“Further finer grain details will be provided further down the track.”

Solicitor for the applicant said finer grain details for the concept would be worked out in subsequent applications.

Ecologist Dr David Robertson, also on behalf of Ms Stokes’s company, said environmental concerns would be mitigated by a stewardship program, avoidance of clearing rainforest and specifically not building dwellings on a mapped koala corridor.

Public submissions focused mainly on the environmental impact, including submissions from Greens council candidate Nola Firth on behalf of the Caldera Environment Centre, who noted the endemic nature of the flora and fauna in the area and highlighted bushfire risk associated with the proposed revegetation.

Panel members questioned both parties on whether or not there was a significant population loss in the rural area that would require an increased residential opportunity such as the Nightcap Village.

Although neither party had specific evidence of a population loss, economist for Ms Stokes’s company, Mark Courtney, said there was a demand for a younger population in the area, which could be attracted by the diverse type of housing and topography of the location provided by the Nightcap development.

“(There are) major issues with (housing) affordability impacted by lack of supply, which are only going to get worse,” Mr Courtney said.

Panel chairman Paul Mitchell said the panel unanimously agreed it was not permissible under the Rural Development State Environmental Planning Policy.

The application was refused.

Attempts to contact Mr Evans for comment were unsuccessful.