THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 27 #37 Tuesday, February 26, 2013 Phone 02 6684 1777 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Inside this week
Liftout Feature Centre pages
ALL YOU NEED IS LESS
CAB AUDIT
Mungo tackles class warfare and eating the super rich – p10
Dean Jefferys returns Funny man Akmal from an epic sailing Saleh’s doco on Egypt’s adventure – p5 Arab Spring – p7
Byron Shire Council Notices Pages 50
Mullum DA riles residents
Onya bike and kite!
Luis Feliu
Shorty Brown gets in a little preparation for next month’s Kites and Bikes Festival, to be held in Brunswick Heads on Sunday March 24. This year’s promises to be more melodic and entertaining than ever, with an exciting lineup of old favourite and brand new acts. Acts include the Samba Blisstas, the Northern Rivers Ukulele Orchestra and the Malvern All Star Variety Show. For more visit www.kitesandbikes.com.au. Photo Jeff ‘Yikes’ Dawson
A controversial development application (DA) for a block of five flats at 27–29 Station Street, Mullumbimby, will be decided at this Thursday’s Council meeting. It’s come under fire from residents who are outraged and puzzled that Byron Council planners have recommended it be allowed, after the developer made some minor amendments to address bulk, scale and privacy. More than 320 people have signed a petition in protest against the plan. In September last year councillors, at their first meeting after being elected, rejected the staff ’s recommended refusal and instead voted to allow them to negotiate with the developer to address those issues. Originally, the staff report on the plan was scathing of the design quality of the proposal, saying it has ‘a single wall plane extending a length of 42.5 metres, which is bulky and austere in appearance’, and a height of almost nine metres. Planners at the time said the views from each of the elevated balconies looked straight down into neighbours’ homes and yards, which amounted to
‘a severe loss of privacy’ for neighbours. But in his recent report, chief planner Ray Darney says that while the revised design was ‘still bulky in appearance’ and of a ‘comparatively larger scale’ than close residential developments, he claimed the privacy issue had now been addressed by the developer introducing ‘privacy screens’ along the length of the northern side of the balconies. Additionally the front unit has been reduced in size to a one bedroom apartment.
Heritage ignored Residents say it’s still far too bulky in appearance and larger in scale than surrounding houses, does not respect the heritage of the town, is totally unsympathetic to the streetscape and is inconsistent with a number of planning policies. Immediate neighbour Simone Ormsby fears approval of the block of flats will set a precedent and that ‘this style of housing may pop up all over Mullumbimby, or perhaps the entire Byron Shire, potentially adjacent to lovely heritage or older-style houses, spoiling the appeal and charm of this great town and wonderful shire’. Q See editorial, page 10
CSG Free meeting snaps into action Despite tighter state regulations on the industry, Byron presses ahead to declare itself CSG free Hans Lovejoy
Momentum is still building against the coal seam gas (CSG) mining industry in the region despite last week’s announcement by the state government that CSG mining will now be banned within a two-kilometre radius of residential areas. Around 700 attended Saturday’s CSG Free meeting at the Byron Regional Sport and Cultural Complex in Ewingsdale, and unanimously voted to establish a survey team for the Shire’s streets, which will ask residents
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if they want their region CSG free. While the government’s exclusion zone – which also includes horse stud farms and wineries – is a considerable concession, north coast federal ALP MPs and activists say they won’t be backing down until the entire region is free of CSG activity. Byron CSG Free co-ordinator Rosie Lee said of the new zonings, ‘Too bad if you live in a rural area, are a dairy or cattle farmer in Kyogle, or soy bean grower in Casino or an organic farmer in Mullumbimby.’ But local state Nationals MP Don
Page told The Echo that ‘The exclusion of all residential and future residential zones is a good outcome, as is the review or audit of all CSG activity in NSW. Having the EPA as the independent regulator is also a positive outcome.’ Mr Page said that the new CSG measures were ‘very much the result of pressure from the Nationals’, who are part of the Liberal/National coalition government. When asked if the Nationals had further plans to curb the CSG industry, he said, ‘I think there could be other initiatives in future.’ Resident Suzie Mylecharane, who
was at Saturday’s meeting, told The lives! We have to make this the bigEcho she agrees with a total ban on gest social movement in Australia as our government is betraying us.’ fracking. Ms Lee says so far 80 communities Government betrayal have embarked on the process and the ‘The big gas companies are starting results have ranged from 87 per cent to to feel the pinch as we hold things 100 per cent declaring themselves to be up so we have to keep the pressure gas field free. ‘After the meeting many were moved on. There are already 5,000 wells in QLD and they are anticipating up to to tears by the plight of farmers in Tara 50,000. Yikes! We have to stop them in QLD and resolved to fight until a in their tracks in NSW. Multinational total ban was realised.’ For survey start dates and progress companies are trashing our land.’ ‘We are fighting for our lives, our in other Byron Shire areas visit www. children’s lives and their children’s csgfreebyronshire.org.
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