UPDATE 3.45pm: TWEED Shire Council's push to postpone earthworks at Gold Coast Airport has been put on hold after a rescission motion by three absent councillors was put forward.

An Extraordinary Meeting was called for earlier today to discuss the rescission motion but didn't go ahead after Councillors Warren Polglase, James Owen, Pryce Allsop and Reece Byrnes failed to show up to the Murwillumbah Chamber.

A council meeting cannot be held unless a quorum of four councillors is present.

During Monday's extraordinary meeting, attended by just four councillors, council voted to write to the Federal and State Governments calling for an immediate investigation after concerns were raised over works undertaken by the airport as part of its construction of the Instrument Landing System.

Concerns had been raised by residents over the environmental impact of the earthworks and whether they had been conducted on NSW Crown Land "over and above the footprint” of the approved 300m from Runway 14 as stated in the ILS Major Development Plan.

Mayor Katie Milne said she was disappointed the four councillors, three of whom had put forward the rescission motion, failed to attend today's meeting.

"The rescission motion was put in last night after the council meeting went through, so to deal with that rescission motion I called for an urgent extraordinary meeting to deal with the rescission meeting,” Cr Milne said.

"When I did the ring around this morning to check if all the councillors could get here they were tumbling like dominoes. It's really frustrating.”

The meeting has now be set for Thursday, August 24 at 4.30pm.

"It's a huge concern because they are doing the work in a very sensitive area,” Cr Milne said.

"We were trying to raise that work to the attention of the authorities and to get the support of the councillors to say we as an organisation do care about this.

"It's a bit unfortunate that hasn't been able to happen. The bulldozers don't unfortunately stop while the councillors get their act together to attend a meeting.”

Acting inappropriately

But Cr Warren Polglase, who was interstate yesterday and unable to make today's hastily-convened meeting due to prior commitments, said the mayor was acting inappropriately in calling the meetings.

"I am quite happy with the outcome we have now got,” Cr Polglase said.

"The point I made to the mayor is she has handled the whole thing totally inappropriately. They have made unqualified statements about issues for the airport and the ILS; totally unsubstantiated and totally inappropriate.”

Cr Polglase said he did not believe the issue was one of urgency and the airport should have been consulted prior to any decisions being made.

"As a mayor she has a bigger responsibility of looking at the whole picture. This process has done more damage in relationships between us and the airport than you could ever do,” Cr Polglase said.

"The airport is one of our biggest employers and with $300 million investment over the next number of years they will become an even bigger employer. Why would we want to try to nobble them along the way? I don't understand it.”

Residents' concerns

But Tweed District Residents and Ratepayers' Association president Lindy Smith, who first raised concerns over the GCA development's environmental impacts on the Tweed River system, said councillors were acting irresponsibly.

"It's rather arrogant to lodge a rescission motion on a very significant issue for the residents and ratepayers of Tweed Shire and for our lower Tweed River system, which is critical for the sustainability of our commercial and recreational fishing industries and of course tourism,” Ms Smith said.

"It delays the process and the destruction which is horrific. To see it, it's horrific, it's devastating and soul destroying.

"We've got the matter of realigning the tidal channel that runs through there, a 450m realignment that's going to create a whole area of acid sulphate soils and it's immediately adjacent to the estuary of the lower Tweed River system.”

Cr Milne said council would invite the GCA and Ms Smith to Thursday's meeting to speak with councillors about the issue.

Airport statement

GCA Chief Operating Officer Marion Charlton yesterday issued a statement saying the airport had carefully followed all relevant regulations regarding early works for the ILS.

Ms Charlton said "incorrect claims had been made about work being carried out on the NSW Crown Reserve, beyond the approved footprint” and rejected claims the ILS project was in any way related to a runway extension.

EARLIER:

TWEED Shire Council is meeting today to consider a rescission motion on the decision made at Monday's Extraordinary Meeting about Gold Coast Airport earthworks.

An Extraordinary Meeting will be held at the Murwillumbah Council Chambers today at 1.30pm after Councillors Warren Polglase, Pryce Allsop and James Owen lodged the rescission motion shortly after yesterday's Extraordinary Meeting.

During Monday's Extraordinary meeting, council voted to write to the Federal and State Governments calling for an immediate investigation after concerns were about whether the GCA had conducted works "over and above the footprint” of 300m from Runway 14 stated in the ILS Major Development Plan.

Councillors Chris Cherry and Ron Cooper voted in favour with the mayor to write to the federal and state governments over the council's concern that works had been made at 450m from the end of Runway 14, which is on NSW Crown Land.

Labor councillor Reece Byrnes voted against the Monday's motion. Councillors James Owen, Warren Polglase and Pryce Allsop were absent from the Monday's meeting.

Cr Polglase told the Tweed Daily News he wasn't able to attend Monday's meeting because he was interstate.

A vote will also be made today on whether council should requests the GCA to address councillors on this issue.

Today's Extraordinary Meeting was called by the Mayor Katie Milne and Deputy Mayor Chris Cherry.