ALBURY’S long-standing plans for a riverside development could be dealt a major blow on Monday night.
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Former mayor Kevin Mack is leading a push for part of the $1 million set aside for the Noreuil Park precinct to be diverted into the Albury-Wodonga regional cancer centre trust fund.
The motion put forward by Cr Mack is for $410,000 to be donated to the trust fund.
It is the identical amount the council has imposed on Albury Wodonga Health for developer contributions relating to the cancer centre project.
Cr Mack said the trust fund had achieved less than 50 per cent of its intended target of $2 million when launched early last year with basketball superstar Lauren Jackson its patron and Albury MP Greg Aplin a trust member.
“The foundation is struggling to raise funds at this stage,” he said.
“I would have thought it would have raised more for what is such an important project.
“But there are probably a lot of circumstances that have prevented that from happening.
“We’ve seen this as an opportunity to assist them and I am encouraging my fellow councillors to do that.
“We can only try.”
Albury Wodonga Health and council had been locked in talks about the payment of developer contributions on the $70 million cancer centre for more than two years.
The cross-border health service sought an exemption on the payment for water and sewerage infrastructure due to the cancer centre's regional significance.
But NSW planning minister Rob Stokes intervened in the standoff and ruled in favour of the council last month.
Cr Mack said the riverside precinct plan wasn’t dead in the water if the motion was successful.
“It has been on the budget agenda since 1996,” he said.
“It is a far better option to provide these much needed funds to the foundation at this time to assist our community.
“The $1 million is quarantined funds for that particular project in the next three to four years.”
