THE BYRON SHIRE
ARTS & INDUSTRY ESTATE
Volume 32 #05 Wednesday, July 12, 2017
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Vale Col Former mayor Adani: its effect on Hadwell outlines the West the health of humans – p5 Byron problem – p13 and the planet – p15
Stayz warns of job losses over Council’s holiday letting policy Online accommodation booking website Stayz has weighed into the holiday letting debate, warning that ‘local government is now considering measures that could put local jobs at risk.’ With Byron Shire Council forging ahead with plans to regulate holiday letting, it has also recently announced it will again pursue illegal holiday letting. Jordan Condo, who is Stayz director of corporate and government affairs, told The Echo, ‘Byron Bay could lose this source of jobs and economic growth by introducing measures that would penalise families who let out their holiday houses, who have been the backbone of Byron Bay’s tourism industry.’ But Greens councillor Michael Lyon told The Echo, ‘The greatest damage to our community that is happening right now, that has been happening increasingly over the last five years, is caused by holiday letting.’ He said, ‘With the expected expansion of Coolangatta Airport from six million to 16.6 million visitors per year and the upgrade of Ballina airport due shortly, there is no end to the increase in tourist numbers that we will see. ‘The answer is not to turn our town into one big holiday let and undermine the local long-term letting market.’ ‘The answer, if we wish to accommodate more tourists, is to provide more tourist accommodation in the form of motels, bed-and-breakfasts continued on page 3
P.18-19
IT IS THE JOB OF THINKING PEOPLE NOT TO BE ON THE SIDE OF THE EXECUTIONERS – ALBERT CAMUS
Stars with Lilith – p33
Recognition week
Online in
netdaily
Mixed report for Tweed River health www.echo.net.au/mixed-reporttweed-river-health
Byron Council pursues Butler St residents Is Council trying to stifle the community’s rights to challenge unwanted or questionable developments? That question has been raised by the peak body who represents progress associations and other community groups across the Shire after they were informed that Council are pursuing court costs from Butler Street residents. Butler Street residents recently lost their case against Council over the validity of constructing a bypass past their homes and associated works.
Public interest
Auntie Dulcie Nichols with Shanikwa at Thursday’s NAIDOC celebrations on Main Beach, Byron Bay. Perfect winter weather saw families enjoying the Bundjalung of Byron Bay Family Cultural Day. The afternoon included a cultural showcase, with Aboriginal dancers, music, loads of activities for the kids and a free barbecue. Photo Jeff Dawson
Community Alliance for Byron Shire (CABS) president Matthew O’Reilly says his group is questioning what impact such an action ‘will have on other community organisations [and their] willingness to stand up for issues that are in the public interest.’ continued on page 2
Differing views emerge over Bruns park meeting The outcome of a recent meeting held between stakeholders and NSW Crown Holiday Parks Trust (NSWCHPT) over management of the Terrace Reserve caravan park in Brunswick Heads has been described completely differently by progress association and chamber of commerce members. While perennial activists Patricia Warren and Michele Grant again unloaded again on mayor Simon Richardson’s leadership and chairing of the meeting (see letters, page
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11), the Brunswick Heads Progress Association (BHPA) have also raised concerns over how the meeting was run and its outcomes. Yet Zac Tooth, representing the Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, holds a different view. He told The Echo ‘It was a positive for us, though it did get a little hostile at one stage.’ He said, ‘I thought the meeting was well handled by the mayor and was positive.’ Meanwhile BHPA secretary Leigh Rees said the meeting, which
media were not invited to, was ‘vague’ and criticised it for a ‘lack of a formal agenda.’ She was also alarmed at the concept plans for the contentious Terrace Reserve caravan park, which contains an historical WWI memorial park planted around 100 years ago. The NSW government-run NSWCHPT have stated their intention to develop and formalise camping around the Cypress Pines, despite their being in poor health, and the opposition of some residents.
Other issues raised from the meeting, says Rees, include, ‘disinterest shown by the councillors present,’ and ‘NSWCHPT’s land grab, which the mayor sees as inevitable’. According to Rees, community reps were ‘cherry picked’ and given 36 hours’ notice for the meeting. ‘It was called to discuss the arborist’s assessment of the southern district of Terrace Reserve, the revised plans of management (PoM) concept plans based on the findings continued on page 6
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