THE BYRON SHIRE Byron Writers Festival Program in this issue
Volume 31 #01 Wednesday, June 15, 2016
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H A P P Y 3 0 T H B I R T H D A Y, E C H O !
AUDIT
Melbourne The Echo You! Yes you. Ska Orchestra celebrates its 30th It’s about you – p32 – with awards – p5, 28 – p20, 21
Masterplan adopted ‘A leap of faith’ is how mayor Simon Richardson described the adoption of the Byron Bay town centre masterplan at last Thursday’s Council meeting. After 18 months of development, the revised masterplan now features a redesigned foreshore parkland, a pedestrian-prioritised town centre, a ‘focus on place-making and the public domain’, a reinvigorated railway square and ‘enhanced village entry points.’ Jonson Street will be upgraded, with a ‘unique materials palette’ to distinguish it as the primary towncentre street. The result will be ‘increased local residential and commercial opportunities,’ connecting with the wetlands around the Sandhills area. Mayor Richardson said, ‘We’ve had over 2,000 community inputs into the plan’s development.’ And while he says it will guide our thinking, ‘it is not prescriptive.’ He says a governance group will now be established to help implement the plan.
Gold-plated Bruns
There was one moment at last Thursday’s Council meeting when you could hear a pin drop. It was just after Cr Sol Ibrahim blurted out that everyone should be worried about the legal advice regarding the Coastal Zone Management Plan Byron Bay Embayment (CZMP BBE).
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Roundhouse funds lead to roads, parks Road resurfacing in the Shire’s north has taken by far the biggest slice of the ‘Roundhouse’ land-sale cash, after councillors voted last Thursday on where the allocation of funds will go. And while there’s money to be splashed at parks and youth facilities, during public access questions were raised from residents Tina Petroff and Angela Dunlop as to why essential infrastructure such as roads should have to be paid for by the sale of assets. The open-space projects for the 2016/17 capital works program now include Waterlily Park Playscape ($100,000), Devines Hill boardwalk and amenity improvements ($112,000), and youth oriented recreation facilities for South Golden Beach ($118,000).
Road upgrades Old and Gold is always a big day for Brunswick Heads, and last Saturday was no exception. Lisa Audus takes a break from the performance/installation art piece at Clem’s Cargo. Photo Jeff ‘Golden And Very Old’ Dawson
You will never guess what happened Thursday Hans Lovejoy
netdaily Parties argy bargy over broadband delivery Online in
Everyone in the room started listening very closely, because well, there has been no legal advice tabled. So what does Cr Ibrahim know that everyone else doesn’t? For those not up to speed, the CZMP BBE is a major coastal policy that, in part, aims to give legal certainty to a handful of beachfront Belongil landowners. Their erosion hotspot home/hol-
iday investment would get official seawall protection, and that would move us closer to Gold Coast-style coastal management. The down side? Council doesn’t have the budget of the Gold Coast. There are no sand-nourishment mitigation plans for the expected loss of an iconic beach. And there is no legal advice as to liability with a proposed 1.1km seawall affecting the
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adjacent Elements resort. Regardless, Cr Ibrahim and his four supporting councillors would very much like for this to be approved ASAP, and provided the least amount of time for the public to assess the plans. That closed June 14. Cr Ibrahim’s blurt all came about after Cr Duncan Dey (Greens) put a motion forward for a public poll on continued on page 8
Road renewal projects include Beach Avenue, South Golden Beach ($307,200), The Esplanade, New Brighton ($216,000), Orana Road, Ocean Shores ($1,040,024), River Street, New Brighton ($466,800), and Coomburra Crescent, Ocean Shores (part length, $503,276). Mayor Simon Richardson says it was a hard decision for residents to choose the projects, ‘as many roads and open spaces in the north need additional funding.’ ‘Though we don’t have the available funding to complete all of the proposed projects, or the many other community-suggested roads and initiatives, this is a good start continued on page 2
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