THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 32 #01 Wednesday, June 14, 2017
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WA R N I N G: C H O K I N G H A Z A R D
Mindfulness? Mandy gives it a crack – p31
Return of the Draft Rural Land Use Strategy! A 20-year strategic plan to guide future rural land zoning and use is back before the public for comment after copping flak from the community and being rejected by the state government. The Draft Rural Land Use Strategy was submitted in the final days of the previous Council in August 2016. As to why staff didn’t advise the previous Council majority whether it would be rejected or not, The Echo understands that staff can only provide legal advice in ordinary meetings when asked by councillors. Yet what is on exhibition now is not a complete rewrite of the first attempt. In particular, Council say they are keen to hear feedback on their Action Plan, and what our rural land-use priorities should be. Of note are agriculture and agribusiness (which includes rural enterprise and innovation) and rural living opportunities – which is examining the potential for additional capacity within existing rural villages and large-lot residential areas. Also Council want to finalise the proposed ‘E-zones’ review to ‘ensure that important environmental areas are protected and conserved.’ And lastly but not only, Council are asking for feedback on the potential for allowing ‘wedding venues’ in rural zones and, where appropriate, introducing planning provisions to ensure their location, scale and operation are compatible with the rural setting. continued on page 2
festival program inserted in this issue
The Chinny Charge is back! – p5
Local lad Finn tackles Everest – p6
What’s New? Turn to page 18
Cold with gold treasures
Online in
netdaily
Finkel decoded: The good, the bad and the very disappointing www.echo.net.au/finkel-decodedgood-bad-disappointing
Full Byron Writers Festival program launched Byron Writers Festival organisers have unwrapped their program for 2017, featuring more than 130 guests and six stages. The event, to be held at the Elements of Byron resort from August 4 till 6, will be complemented by diverse writers’ workshops, satellite events and literary dinners throughout Byron Bay and the wider northern rivers region. Festival director Edwina Johnson says, ‘The twenty-first Byron Writers festival program aims to soar high across many different dominions. We seek to inspire, engage and cultivate accessible conversations between our writer guests and avid audiences.’
Aussie lineup Nikki Poulos recognises style when she sees it! Despite at times heavy rain, rugged-up bargain hunters were relatively undeterred at the Old & Gold Festival, held in Brunswick Heads on Saturday. It wasn’t all garage sales and recycled bric-a-brac; the festival also boasted horse and carriage rides, live music, book fairs, free face painting, a marbles comp, food stalls, environmental electric car displays and more. Photo Jeff Dawson
‘We are especially proud of this year’s program – for its cultural diversity, scope, and probing amalgamation of important topics and different writing genres.’ continued on page 3
DA for 290 lots before public With 624 pages over eight documents, developers of the Harvest Estate have presented to the public their case for a 290-lot subdivision at West Byron, located opposite the industrial estate on Ewingsdale Road. The development application (DA) estimates it will cost $25m for the works, and approval for stages one and two are sought over 74.9ha by Villa World Byron Pty Ltd. Most of the lots – 277 of them – will be ‘low-density single dwellings,’
at a minimum lot size of 450m2, as prescribed in the Byron Local Environmental Plan 1988 (BLEP). According to the Gold Coastbased company, the plan ‘is generally consistent with those indicative wishes of Council officers as evident within the draft development control plan (DCP) section E8 for the West Byron Urban Release Area (WBURA).’ The words ‘generally consistent’ relate to the company’s decision to
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push ahead now and ignore Council’s yet to be approved West Byron DCP, which provides the community some say over how the project would roll out. The Echo asked Council’s Sustainable Environment and Economy director Ms Shannon Burt what influence the community could expect given the state government has intervened throughout the process to ensure the project happens. She told The Echo, ‘The DA
would be assessed on merit with consideration of the current LEP and draft DCP.’ Ms Burt said Council will be making a submission and she encouraged residents to read the DA and consider making a submission either in support or with concerns. She also added that the peer review of the West Byron DCP had been completed and would be reported to the June 22 meeting. continued on page 6
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