New Tweed Valley Hospital: ‘The matter is now settled’ as councillors accept hospital location

They did all they could to block construction of a $582 million hospital on farmland, but three Tweed councillors now admit they will be happy to use if they fall sick or are injured.

THEY did all they could to block construction of a $582 million hospital on farmland, but three Tweed councillors now admit they will be happy to use if they fall sick or are injured.

But the fourth member of the bloc that opposed the Cudgen site, Tweed Mayor Katie Milne, has gone to ground and not responded to Bulletin approaches asking for her current stance now that the project is underway.

The so-called Raibow Four who strongly opposed the site selection by the NSW Government included Cr Milne and Councillors Reece Byrnes, Ron Cooper and Deputy Mayor Chris Cherry.

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An artist's impression of the emergency entry of the new Tweed Valley Hospital.

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The opposition to the Tweed Valley Hospital being built on “state significant’’ farmland included protests and an even a call to black list tradies who worked on the project. It was later retracted.

NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard jetted into the Tweed from Sydney this month for a symbolic sod-turning ceremony with Member for Tweed Geoff Provest.

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NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard with Tweed MP Geoff Provest at the sod-turning at the new Tweed Valley Hospital site at Cudgen. Picture: Scott Powick

Councillors Warren Polglase, James Owen and Pryce Allsop attended, but Councillors Byrnes, Cooper, Cherry and Milne were noticeably absent.

However, it seems the worst of the infighting over the contentious project has come to an end.

Labor councillor Reece Byrnes said the NSW state election this year was a “referendum on the location of the new hospital”.

“The outcome of that election was clear and the matter is now settled. The new Tweed Valley Hospital will be at Cudgen,” he said.

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“Geoff Provest and the Nationals must now get on with the job and keep their promises for free parking at the new Tweed Valley Hospital and keeping the existing Tweed Hospital open.

“Geoff Provest must also ensure that this hospital is up and running by 2022, which he has also previously promised.”

But Mr Provest recently said the hospital would be open by 2023.

Cr Cherry, an independent, said “of course” she would use the new hospital when it opened.

She said the council was “working with the State Government to ensure all of the correct procedures are followed and all the required approvals are in place”.

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The controversial Tweed Valley Hospital site at Cudgen.

“My concern on the new hospital is that our community deserve the safest hospital service they can get, and I want to avoid some of the disasters that have dogged the new Northern Beaches Hospital in Sydney,” she said.

Independent councillor Ron Cooper said he was “not carrying a grudge”, despite the adverse result for campaigners who had hoped to have the project shifted.

The NSW Government Department of Planning has approved the first development application for the hospital, but a second application is pending.