Council asked to allow Riding for the Disabled to continue

A RIDING CLUB for disabled people hopes to continue operating on a Murwillumbah property despite discovering that it needs a development approval to do so.

Riding for the Disabled secretary Sylvia Dossett said the council was aware that the group was operating at Stokers Rd, Murwillumbah.

"But we never put in an application for the proposed use," Ms Dossett said.

"We want to put shade sail over part of the arena and that's when it was discovered.

"We have been here for five or six years and the council has put road signs up and everything."

The owners of the property have submitted a development application to Tweed Shire Council to allow the riding club to use the premises.

According to the application, prior to the group operating on Joel and Leonie Dunne's property it was operating from the Murwillumbah showgrounds.

"In 2OO7 we were very happy to invite Riding for the Disabled Tweed Valley to set up their services here on our property rather than continue with the difficult exercise of floating horses into the Murwillumbah Showground on a weekly basis," the Dunne said in a letter to the planning department.

"However we did not understand that this move meant a change of use to our Council Rural 1A zoning.

"When this was recognised recently we took steps to remedy the problem."

In June, a wakeboard clinic was refused approval after operating in the Tweed River for five years without the required approval. The clinic operators said advice suggested approval was not required.

The wakeboarding business failed in its attempt to get approval.

The council is being sought for comment on the planning non-compliance issues in the Tweed.