Rail Trail landowners invited to make their marks

Council asks landowners to 'tell us what you need'

Friday 23 August 2019

Landowners adjoining the rail corridor from Murwillumbah to Crabbes Creek are being invited to work with Council’s Rail Trail Project Team to ensure all inclusions required in the detailed design of the rail trail are documented and costed.

Adjoining landowners are being asked to collect a map of their property from Council’s Murwillumbah offices and mark it up with those ‘needs’, which may include sections of fence; the retention of existing vegetation as screening and any business opportunities a landowner may be considering leveraging off the rail trail.

“This detailed information will help us to better understand the impacts of repurposing the rail corridor as a shared-user path and have the tendering construction companies price in any valid inclusions,” Rail Trail Project Director Iain Lonsdale said.

“Council is not committing to undertake all or any works requested by landowners but is attempting to identify landowner needs and quantify what it can do to assist them to accommodate the rail trail.”

Council expects it will call on the six shortlisted companies to tender for the detailed design and construct contract in the next few months given that the State parliamentary process to close the railway line has begun.

“As yet we do not have clarity around the timing of the final tendering process but know that once the railway is officially closed this project will move quickly and we need to be ready for that,” he said.

To pick up your property map, please bring photo identification to the Murwillumbah Council offices and ask to speak with either Iain Lonsdale or Brenda Hannigan or call (02) 6670 2400 to make alternative arrangements.