Council Stance Betrays Community
SAVE CUTTAGEE BRIDGE
Far South Coast community disillusioned by what looks like complete disregard for due process. Cuttagee Bridge is one of NSW South Coast’s iconic timber bridges.
In March, 2021, some 14,000 people signed a petition supporting repair and restoration work to this heritage-listed bridge, whilst expressing overwhelming opposition to its demolition and replacement with a concrete bridge.
In 2023, the NSW State Government, through local member Dr Michael Holland, committed $15m towards “the restoration of Cuttagee Bridge”. This funding commitment was widely celebrated as an example of government listening to the wishes of local people and others who love the Bega Valley.
Since then, Transport for NSW (TfNSW) has been working with Bega Valley Shire Council to prepare a Deed of Agreement, including options for this work, whilst the community has waited patiently for the public consultation process to begin. We are utterly shocked, therefore, by what took place at the Council meeting held on 31 January.
Mayor Fitzpatrick moved a motion to accept the $15 million funding but proposed that it should be dedicated only to the demolition and replacement of Cuttagee Bridge and the construction of a two-lane concrete bridge in its place.
In an extraordinary further development, the motion delegated the Chief Executive Officer, Anthony McMahon, to unilaterally re-negotiate the options within the Deed of Agreement with TfNSW.
Mayor Fitzpatrick’s motion was presented to the meeting without notice to the community and to the obvious surprise of some of the councillors. Nonetheless, five councillors, including David Porter and Liz Seckold, who have previously made public commitments to restoring the Bridge, voted in favour of this motion.
We applaud the three councillors who kept the faith with our community and voted against: Helen O’Neil, Cathy Griff and Karen Wright.
Councillor Joy Robin was absent. Our community, and others who visit this region, can rightfully be very disillusioned by what looks like complete disregard for due process. It is now clear that the Council refuses to consider making Cuttagee Bridge safe and fit for purpose whilst preserving its heritage values, despite plentiful professional evidence that this can be achieved. Timber bridges have been recently constructed by NSW councils with great success, for example, the Runnyford Bridge in Eurobodalla and the South Arm Bridge in Byron Shire.
Council’s decision denies the community the opportunity to consider and comment on the other options, as included in this Deed of Agreement, and imposes only one possible outcome: a two-lane concrete replacement.
Throwing out the other options makes a mockery of community consultation and may imperil the $15m funding – and what future then for Cuttagee Bridge?
The community and Save Cuttagee Bridge Group demand that options be reinstated and thoroughly and fairly assessed, and the community must be properly consulted if the Council is to keep faith with its community and demonstrate its commitment to good governance.
