THE BYRON SHIRE
School
Volume 27 #44 Tuesday, April 16, 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
Holidays See pages 16–17 T H E S H I F T I S A B O U T T O H I T T H E FA N
CAB AUDIT
Mungo on Fraudband – p10
North Byron development scaled back Residents opposed to the development of the former Becton site in Sunrise have welcomed developer plans to scale it back in size and for Council to push for conditions on approval. An application to hold temporary cultural events at Bayshore Drive by North Byron Beach Resort Pty Ltd will be tabled at Thursday’s Council meeting. In the agenda, staff say, ‘It is proposed to hold a maximum of six events per year within the site, being three events at 3,000 capacity, and three events at 1,000 capacity.’ A two year trial is also proposed. Miranda Burne from Save Our Sunrise (SOS) told The Echo, ‘SOS looks forward to working with the council and the proponents to ensure the festivals will enhance rather than diminish the social and environmental values of the area, which is home to threatened species including koalas and pied oystercatchers.’
Potholes secret no more – p11
If you can remember Aquarius – p15
Music, as heard in Byron Shire – p19
Buy it, sell it, rent it – p35–39
Leilani Avery-Numa and her Year 4 Shearwater classmates spent last Wednesday helping plant a koala super highway at Myocum. The Koala Connections project is a partnership program between Byron and Tweed Shire Councils and aims to restore 225 hectares of koala habitat. Koalas have faced a number of threats recently and are now classified as a Vulnerable Species at both state and federal level. If you would like to help out, call Byron Shire Council on 6626 7068 or for more information on the project go to www.byron.nsw.gov.au/koala-connections. Photo Jeff ‘How Much Can A Koala Bear?’ Dawson
Byron bike shop to close doors after 22 years ‘There have been about eight seri‘At one time I had five full time staff but these days I am down to one ca- ous enquiries in the last five years; two Having celebrated an impressive 22 sual, even though my business is still in particular were very keen, but the rent cost was the deal killer.’ years as a business in town, Byron Bay thriving.’ Chris also says that the high rent Bicycles will close its doors permanentis the reason he can’t afford full time ly at the end of the month, even though Rent a major factor Chris says the cost and increases staff and he says he is not serving his it is a successful and viable business. Owner Chris Webb says it’s time in his rent are within the terms of his customers the way he would like to. He feels that landlords need to have for him to move on. ‘I’m ready for lease and were not out of the ordinary. Rent rises can happen in any rental to look at the economy and apply rents a break’, says Chris. ‘The business is quite successful and 22 years is not agreement and are generally aligned accordingly. ‘If they want sustainable a bad innings, but I’m ready for a with the CPI (consumer price index). businesses in the Bay, they need to be But Chris says despite his rent be- realistic about what they are charging.’ change of scenery and I am moving Byron United (chamber of coming in line with CPI, it became a to South Australia.’ So why not sell? Chris would love major factor in how he has run his merce) president Paul Waters says to sell the bicycle shop but there are business and the reason he can’t sell it. that it’s disappointing that landlords He has had the shop on the market aren’t being reasonable, though he no takers. When he opened his shop back in 1991 there were some com- for about five years and says that most says property owners who are local are petitors, but they fell away and his of the buyers who have been inter- more likely to negotiate because they business boomed. However now he ested enough to make enquiries have are in it for the long term. ‘I know a can’t interest anyone in taking over baulked when they have heard how few people who have either kept their rent stable, or in some cases reduced because no one wants to pay the rent. much rent he pays.
Pages 40–41
Roundhouse in Council’s sights
Planting a koala super highway
Eve Jeffery
Byron Shire Council Notices
rent through negotiation’, he says. ‘Local landlords are meeting the market with rent reviews and valuations.’ Paul says he feels that landlords from out of town are a problem and he used the Woolworths Plaza as an example. ‘The current owner does not appear to care about Byron Bay’, he said. ‘[The plaza] is very run down and very grotty. I am not at all happy about how they keep that shopping centre. They said they would do it up but they haven’t spent a penny on it as far as I can see.’ Owner of the Byron Woolies Plaza, Gold Coast developer Robert Badalotti, was asked to comment but as of going to press had not responded. Previously The Echo reported that he intends to redevelop the site, where both bids for a Dan Murphy’s and KFC have failed. Chris thanked everybody for their support and wished his customers well.
For those looking for clues as to how Council plans to balance its budget, a ‘confidential’ staff report by Council on subdividing the Ocean Shores Roundhouse site will debated at the upcoming April 18 Council meeting. It’s anticipated that the sale of the subdivided land could provide much needed cash to Council’s dwindling coffers, estimated to be short about $10m in this year’s budget. But community groups the Roundhouse Action Group (RAG) and Ocean Shores Community Association (OSCA) have called on the new councillors to ‘keep their word made at the Ocean Shores Community Centre prior to the Council election and not subdivide the Roundhouse site.’ The Council owned property, which sits prominently overlooking the beach and golf club, has a long history; late last year the Roundhouse Action Group (RAG) presented what it claimed was a revenue positive business model. It advocated a public cultural building, incorporating a gallery, museum, theatre, cinema, restaurant and archival space. ‘This can be done as a long term project without putting an economic burden on the Council,’ Jan Mangleson from RAG said. Staff recommendations remain confidential, however the summary from the agenda says that in April 2012 Council advised the Ocean Shores Country Club (OSCC) that it would not proceed with the joint 13 lot Roundhouse site development and instead brokered a new agreement with the club for easements ‘associated with Council progressing its own 11 lot Roundhouse subdivision.’ ‘The purpose of this report is to advise Council that a new agreement has been finalised and to report the matter to Council prior to seeking tenders for the works associated with construction of the subdivision.’ The confidential report will be tabled on Thursday.
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