ANOTHER major expansion of Tweed City Shopping Centre has been put on the backburner because Tweed Shire Council planning staff say they are too busy to consider it.

The staff were backed by four of Tweed's seven councillors despite a plea for action by pro-development, former mayor Warren Polglase who declared the decision meant the Tweed is “closed for business”.

The managers of the complex, the Dexus Property Group, bought adjoining properties along Kirkwood Rd and an old service station fronting Minjungbal Dr and wanted to rezone them to allow expansion.

The zoning is a mixture of general business, commerce and trade, private recreation and medium density residential with the company seeking to zone all the area for general business.

Council planners agreed expansion of the Tweed biggest shopping centre was “logical” and “consistent with the urban consolidation objectives of Council's adopted Retail Policy and Community Strategic Plan”.

But they said: “The proposal is not identified in the Planning Reform Unit's work program.”

Yesterday afternoon Asset and Development Manager for Tweed City Belinda Hufton chose a diplomatic response to the council decision.

“In a growing region like Tweed, we appreciate that council has a number of current priorities and we look forward to working with council and the local community to ensure Tweed City continues to meet the needs of the shire now and into the future,” she said.

Cr Polglase said the Tweed City expansion had “been on the agenda a long time” and should be given some priority because it would create jobs, particularly in the construction industry.

He understood the expansion would add another “two to three thousand square metres of space” to the shopping centre.

“Tweed desperately needs jobs,” he said.

“Whether it's sweeping floors or serving customers, it's a job.

"By putting this back ... you may as well go down to each of our boundaries and hang out a sheet (saying) Tweed Shire Closed For Business”.

He was backed by mayor Kevin Skinner who warned the Tweed economy “is in dire straits”.

The expansion was opposed by four councillors, including Joan van Lieshout who described it as “going too far”.

“We already have the mall at Tweed Heads which is half empty”, she said.

Greens councillor Katie Milne said work on the National Iconic Landscapes strategy and other planning proposals would be delayed if Tweed City was given priority.