Independent candidate for Cowper Caz Heise weighs in on disputed Coffs Jetty Foreshore Master Plan

The Teal independent candidate for Cowper - who’s looking to snatch the Federal seat from Pat Conaghan - has weighed in on the contentious Jetty Foreshore Master Plan.

Carolyn Heise has weighed in on the Coffs Jetty Foreshore Master Plan. Picture: Supplied

Coffs Harbour council is in a bit of a pickle - or a “a democratic predicament” as the Teal independent candidate for Cowper puts it - when it comes to the contentious Jetty Foreshore Master Plan.

Carolyn ‘Caz’ Heise’s comments come after the Local Government election results for the City of Coffs Harbour showed almost 70 per cent of respondents were against the NSW government's plans for multi-level private residential development in what is often dubbed the jewel of the regional city.

On Saturday, Ms Heise is set to launch her campaign to try to snatch the Federal seat of Cowper from Nationals MP Pat Conaghan in 2025.

Meanwhile, the former Northern NSW Local Health District executive director of nursing and widwifery said she has been observing the council’s current predicament.

Ms Heise ran as an independent for the Federal seat of Cowper in 2022, but missed out to Pat Conaghan of The Nationals.

“We’ve got a new mayor (Nikki Williams) and a whole lot of new councillors that said they were pro-development, including residential development, but at this point haven’t said what they’re going to do in government about it,” Ms Heise said.

“However, we’ve got nearly 70 per cent of the community that said they don’t want multi-level residential development the other side of the railway line, so it puts them in a predicament.

“How can you not listen to the community?”

Ms Heise said she backed developing the land for cafes, art and public spaces, but did not believe the state master plan was welcomed by the community, or that it would help alleviate housing shortages in a crisis.

Caz Heise is looking to topple Cowper MP Pat Conaghan in 2025.

Ms Heise said she hoped “democracy will prevail and council will do what they’re supposed to do as democratically elected councillors and listen to the community and find a solution that’s good for everybody”.

She said the issue was complicated by an application for land acquisition by the council, which remained up in the air.

In recent days, The Office of Local Government confirmed receipt of the application for consent to acquire some foreshores land.

If elected, Ms Heise said she would try to increase collaboration across all levels of government.

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Originally published as Independent candidate for Cowper Caz Heise weighs in on disputed Coffs Jetty Foreshore Master Plan