TWEED conservationists have pleaded with the Joint Regional Planning Panel to ask the NSW Government for a Commission of Inquiry into planning for the new Cobaki Lakes township on the Tweed side of the Queensland border.

A range of community action groups, including the Murwillumbah-based Caldera Environment Centre, Save Byrrill Creek Campaign – whose members are concerned the demand for water from developments like Cobaki Lakes could lead to a massive new dam in their area – and the Northern Rivers Guardians, addressed panel members on the Cobaki Lakes plans at Tweed Heads late on Wednesday.

Developer Leda Manorstead, led by billionaire Bob Ell, has applied to the panel for approval of the first subdivisions of 932 lots at Cobaki Lakes where it wants to create a town of about 5000 homes.

Caldera Environment Centre co-ordinator Paul Hopkins said he hoped the panel members, led by chairman Garry West, a former state National Party minister, would push the new O'Farrell government to hold a planning commission of inquiry.

“They are going to re-look at Barangaroo (a controversial development on Sydney Harbour) and it seems like Brad Hazzard, the new planning minister, is quite courageous,” Mr Hopkins said yesterday.

“I would be hopeful the panel could lobby someone like Brad Hazzard to have a commission of inquiry look at this.”
The panel is scheduled to consider the subdivision on Thursday, May 26.