Richmond Valley Council has lodged a Notice of Intention to Appeal the recent judgement made by the NSW Land and Environment Court in favour of Goldcoral Pty Ltd’s Iron Gates development at Evans Head.
Council’s General Manager Vaughan Macdonald said the Notice of Intention did not commit Richmond Valley Council to proceeding with an appeal, it reserved its appeal rights so the incoming elected Council could consider the matter.
The Land and Environment Court’s judgement overturned the Northern Regional Planning Panel’s previous refusal of the Iron Gates development application and paved the way for stage one of the development to proceed, including 121 community title residential lots, a public open space lot and a community building which would act as a refuge from bushfire and floods.
“Council is conscious of the wide-ranging community views on this longstanding matter and the need to ensure the legal and procedural aspects of this case are thoroughly examined and the interests of all residents are fully considered,” Mr Macdonald said.
“The Notice of Intention to Appeal to the Court of Appeal reserves Council’s appeal rights until 31 October 2024, allowing a detailed briefing to be prepared for the in-coming Council on all aspects of the judgement, its prospects for success and the potential costs to ratepayers.”
Mr Macdonald said Council remained committed to transparency throughout this process and would keep the community updated where the legal process allowed.