Letters
Jack and the story of Bangalow the strategy process involved careful planning with site inspections and a high level of community consultation. Jack’s argument is actually a non sequitur. The ‘curmudgeons’ who object to the Station Street proposal are concerned to retain the village and heritage character of the central business zone as recommended under the settlement strategy and the Byron DCP; this is not an argument about where to house new residents. And to suggest that we should have more large buildings like the one proposed to protect us from ‘urban sprawl’ or ‘suburbia’ is plainly ridiculous. It also goes against Jack’s own admission that people come to Bangalow because they find it attractive; that would soon change if we lost the unique character of our central business area, which includes Station Street. I think Jack needs to get better acquainted with our BanJohn Mutton galow Settlement Strategy and Ocean Shores the Main Street Study that preceded it. Jenny Coman Q For a young man as confident Bangalow in his opinions as Jack Dods seems to be, both at the Bangalow meeting and in your paper Q I read, with interest, Jack last week, he has shown himself Dods’s letter regarding Bangaboth ignorant of the history of low’s current development recent subdivisions in Banga- brouhaha. He does present low and dismissive of those res- some interesting (if slightly idents who actually live in these pretentious) ideas. I feel, how‘stock-standard, unimaginative, ever, that some of his reasoning cul-de-sac developments’; I’m is a little flawed. His comparison of Baywood sure many residents would find Chase and central Bangalow these remarks offensive. For his information, there is one example of this. In his was considerable opposition to letter he opines, rather judgthe Clover Hill estate, including mentally: ‘How many people a public meeting. But Council would say “Let’s spend an aftervoted for it (I didn’t) and so it noon in Baywood Chase?”’. My went ahead. The other develop- counter-argument is of course ments he refers to have been on that they would be the same land selected under the Ban- types of people who would say galow Settlement Strategy in ‘Let’s spend an afternoon in response to the state govern- (for example) Clover Hill or ment’s requirement that Banga- Ewingsdale’; they would, obvilow make provision for growth; ously, be the people who reside I refer to the letter you published on January 15 from Jack Dods, born 23 years ago and studying architecture. A great relief and some clear thinking for the town Bangalow with great potential. Jack, I was born 73 years ago in Lismore. Graduated in Architecture UNSW and have designed projects across the planet, including the largest residential in Byron Bay (will not tell where but there are a lot of contented residents). Your observations regarding Bangalow are excellent. The locals should engage you as a consultant to talk to Council and SPA if necessary. Bangalow has exciting potential. It is three-dimensional with a variety of activities and residential opportunities that do not exist in Byron, Bruns or Mullum. There is opportunity for exciting change and individuality and I hope you ‘get a go’.
Q
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CSG Free community. They showed themselves to be truly committed to the wellbeing of individuals and whole communities. I am looking forward to an equally inspiring display of leadership in action when the panel members of a Q&A style public forum to address the challenges that face Byron and residents of Byron gather together on January 26 at the Byron Bay Community Centre. Yvonne Jessup
Byron Bay
Ecocide Last week Hans Lovejoy quoted James Hansen of NASA as saying that ‘CEOs of fossil-energy companies know what they are doing and are aware of the long-term consequences of continued business as usual. In my opinion, these CEOs should be tried for high crimes against humanity and nature.’ I agree. Make the fat www.echo.net.au
cats responsible for their actions and their unsustainable practices. In Venice they use the recycled garbage from all their tourists to create the energy to run their city. They had no option so they came up with this brilliant solution. It’s not new; they’ve been doing this for years. The technology is in place and it works. This CSG rape and pillage of the land and people’s properties is terrifying because it shows that the big guys are totally crazy and think they can get away with it. If ever there was a time for people to come together to fight, this is it. Magenta Appel-Pye
Mullumbimby Q Hans Lovejoy’s editorial quotes James Hansen of NASA, that fossil-fuel company CEOs ‘should be tried for high crimes’. There is in fact a
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there. Baywood Chase is a family-friendly residential area. Clover Hill and Ewingsdale are family-friendly residential areas. Family-friendly residential areas cannot be compared with Bangalow’s central area, which is primarily commercial. More broadly, in light of all the fuss, a more fundamental question must be asked: is ‘old’ Bangalow a real place anymore, or is it simply some sort of bizarre yuppie theme park? It certainly has been interesting, over time, to watch what was once a service centre for the surrounding farming community evolve (whether ‘sociopetally’ or not) into what is primarily just an over-priced strip mall for the well-heeled. Pam Timms
Suffolk Park Q Jack
may have been ‘born 23 years ago’, but the rest of us in Bangalow weren’t born yesterday. We object to the current proposal for Station Street precisely because it is the antithesis of good design. It is nothing more than a sixties block of flats with a nod to 19th century decoration on the front. From the sides and rear it is a masonry monstrosity that will dominate the surrounds. There are very real issues of danger to children and pedestrians with the accessing of the building through Station Lane and the vexed question of just how refuse disposal will be managed in the small space that is Station Street. But the real reason why Jack should take another look at this design is that is extremely environmentally unfriendly. Eight small units with small bedrooms and low ceilings and no passive solar heating and cooling – it will need banks of air conditioners to make it liveable in the summer months for its residents, which in addition
to providing a drain on power sources will also be a source of irritation for residents in streets around the site. It is also right beside the A&I Hall; it is naïve in the extreme to think that the noise from this constantly used venue will not be an irritation to future purchasers, thereby leading to complaints which, justified or not, will have to be investigated by the local constabulary. The developer, however, has no concerns about any of this – like Jack , he doesn’t live right in town and he will have no control or interest in the end-users of this development. And there were many objections to the new proposals for development in the areas that Jack has listed, but as all that land was actually zoned for residential blocks little can be changed as to their use. In 1990, when the people of Bangalow were about effecting major and substantial changes to their town to make it a better living space for both the community and visitors with the Mainstreeting Program, Jack was just one year old; and ironically it was a crew of passionate and idealistic young architecture students (just like Jack) from Sydney University, led by Professor Henry Sanoff, who brought about the congenial, attractive streetscape that is Bangalow today. That same attractive streetscape that has made it so popular with residents and visitors and that now has developers trying to cash in on that appeal. Medium-density housing is a good idea, but it has to be environmentally friendly, comfortable and sustainable medium density – not this little set of boxes with three shops underneath that is really just a block of flats with another name. Karena Wynn-Moylan
Bangalow
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The Byron Shire Echo January 22, 2013 15