UPDATED: Saturday, 7pm:  A council spokesman says Mr Mackay has agreed to remove the sign by next Friday.

ORIGINAL STORY, Friday: BANORA Point developer Hugh Mackay has erected a huge sign at Chinderah to accuse Tweed Shire Council of "putting the brakes on the Tweed economy" after his DA was rejected.

The 2.4sq m sign attached to a cherrypicker was erected at 7am Friday morning on Jenners Corner-land owned by Mr Mackay.

The cartoon which dates from a previous council election, features Crs Michael Armstrong and Katie Milne clinging to a handbrake on a desert island.

It was attracting a lot of comment from passersby when the Tweed Daily News inspected the site.

Mr Mackay said he had the sign ready to go after the expected knock back of his DA at the Council on Thursday night 3-2 (Crs Warren Polglase and Phil Youngblutt opposed) for a 79-boat sale yard and new cafe at the prominent Jenners Corner site.

Crs Michael Armstrong and Carolyn Byrne were absent from the meeting.

The council had last month voted 4-3 for him to come back with an alternative proposal that didn't involve boats.

But the DA again came before the council on Thursday night and this time was rejected outright.

The majority of councillors favour the cafe but not the boat storage.

Mr Mackay said he would challenge the refusal in the Land and Environment Court, but in the meantime he wanted to make a public protest and would keep the sign up as long as he could.

He said a public rally was also being organised.

Comment is being sought from the council.