THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 25 #46 Tuesday, April 26, 2011 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,000 copies every week
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CANNABIS LAW REFORM RALLY AND GATHERING 29 APRIL - 1 MAY
Bluesfest gets Frantic
Michael Franti from Spearhead crowd surfing at this year’s Blues fest. More photos by Jeff Dawson on page 3
Illegal holiday letting on Council hit list Ray Moynihan
Byron Shire Council has begun a crackdown on the controversial practice of ‘holiday letting’, which could see property owners in the Shire taken to court over the issue for the first time. During a confidential session before Easter, Council passed a motion authorising staff to ‘manage the litigation’ of ‘potential compliance matters’ involving properties
in residential zones being used as essentially tourist accommodation. The Echo understands Council will target at least three properties identified as the subject of complaints, although the addresses remain confidential at this point. Mayor Jan Barham says along side neighbours’ distress about noise and other disruption, she is extremely concerned about the welfare of visitors staying in shortterm tourist accommodation not
approved for that use, particularly in relation to fire standards. ‘Council is taking its role to ensure public safety very seriously’, she said. Mayor Barham suggested there may be more than 400 premises in the area used for ‘illegal’ holiday letting, one factor contributing to the shortage of affordable housing. ‘I think it’s essential we get legal proceedings once and for all to settle the issue, so we can get clearer guidance for property owners and the community.’
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A fourty-page document prepared for Council’s last meeting revealed it had received complaints about 55 premises and the report detailed the challenges of gathering evidence strong enough to mount court cases. ‘If a prosecution of “holiday-letting” is to be successful,’ says the council report, ‘it must proceed from the basis of the existence of witnesses who are able to give firsthand accounts’. Underlining the Council’s seriousness, its manager of governance
Ralph James said via a statement, ‘depending on evidence, notices to cease any unauthorised activity could be issued and where necessary legal action commenced.’
‘Political agenda’ Representing owners who let houses, the president of the Holiday Letting Organisation John Gudgeon argued the idea of legal action was part of a ‘political continued on page 2