THE BYRON SHIRE
arts &
Volume 30 #39
industry
Wednesday, March 9, 2016
estate
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
pages 18–19
W I L L T R A D E FA S C I S T S F O R G E N U I N E R E F U G E E S
CAB AUDIT
What’s all the fuss about, Hannah Gadsby? – p30
The Nats have a plan for the region, and it includes CSG – p7
What’s new Arty in the shire stuff – p17 – p34
Online in
netdaily
Promoters slam 30-hour closure of Jack’s Bar www.echo.net.au/promotersslam-closure-of-jacks-bar
Bangalow debates Big time bypass, ‘food hub’ top dog Chris Dobney
Bangalow residents have agreed that a planned ‘food hub’ on the site of the decommissioned RMS donga village would be ‘an eyesore’ but they are divided over plans to turn sleepy Station Street into a one-way bypass road. A Bangalow Progress Association meeting held last Thursday night heard that the Byron Shire Council’s food precinct initiative appeared to be ‘almost a foregone conclusion’, despite concerted community opposition. Association president Tony Hart told the meeting that a briefing paper that has gone to Council ‘talks up the positive aspects’ of the plan but ‘doesn’t talk about the fact that Bangalow doesn’t want it.’ ‘They’re talking about a beautiful design and a botanical gardens out the front but you know what it’s going to be like – there’ll be semi-trailers in and out of there all the time. It’s all about the financial implications for Bangalow,’ he said, ‘not about a long-term strategy for the village.’ Fellow consultative committee member Kylie Mowbray-Allan said there was ‘also suggestion of turning it into Ballina Fair-style centre,’ to the horror of attendees.
Bypass idea panned But any perception of unanimity among the villagers was quickly dispelled once the Chamber of Commerce’s Jeff Lovett had the opportunity to voice the organisation’s plan
to turn sleepy Station Street, home of the iconic A&I Hall, into a village bypass, taking one-way traffic across the railway line and depositing it onto Leslie Street and ultimately Granuaille Road. ‘There is a large parcel of railway land on Leslie Street that could be used for “green parking”,’ he told the meeting, to general objection.
Further development? The only Byron Shire councillor to attend the meeting was Alan Hunter, and it appeared his motivation was primarily to soften up the community for additional developments. ‘We’ve got to be careful about saying “no more” anything,’ the Nationals Party member told the meeting. ‘People are going to come. If we aren’t ready for them, they’re going to come anyway. The art of the game is to get bigger without losing our character.’ ‘In the past we’ve tried to stop development. Now we’ve got more potholes [and] housing problems. ‘We’ve made some mistakes in the past. No-one in their right minds would want to change the atmosphere of Bangalow, but if we do nothing we will lose it because it will be someone else’s agenda,’ Cr Hunter said. Mr Hart replied, ‘The Department of Planning and Environment just issued its north coast strategy. Bangalow doesn’t have any growth areas shown, but Byron, Brunswick and Ocean Shores do.’ Q Read more on this story at
Mullumbimby-based circus performer and star of the international Spiegeltent circuit, Joel Salom, has found himself on the grand final of Channel 9’s Australia’s Got Talent. Joel, along with his robotic creation, Erik the Dog, will compete alongside humans this Sunday and Monday night. Good luck, Joel and Erik! Photo Jeff Dawson
Roundup concerns over rail clearing With extensive clearing needed along the corridor between Bayshore Drive and Lawson Street for the Elements resort train proposal, residents say they are concerned that ‘significant amounts of poisons such as Roundup/Glyphosate’ will be needed. And while no development application has been submitted for the plan, two stations were approved last year by Council. Representing Sunrise residents, Tanja Krebs told The Echo, ‘Soil along the railway corridor is very sandy with low phosphate levels (poor herbicide binding qualities) and research indicates that the poi-
sons will leach out of the soil, into the adjoining Belongil Creek and estuary before it can be properly broken down. The rail corridor runs adjacent to homes, waterways and the wildlife corridor.’ ‘In a letter received from the EPA in July last year it is clearly stated that the EPA understands that the project is being assessed under section 78c of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and that Council is the consent authority. ‘At this point, requests for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) have gone unanswered from Byron Council and the Department of Transport. Byron Bay Railway
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Company (Elements) have indicated in an email last week that they will not be undertaking an EIA and it is, with such a statement, presumed that they will progress to fully install their proposed train service regardless of the community’s need to have an appropriate EIA.’
Elements reply In response, project manager Jeremy Holmes told The Echo, ‘Byron Bay Railroad Company, the notfor-profit venture behind the Byron train, is required to undertake an initial environment report under its licence which focuses primarily continued on page 2
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