THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 32 #21 Wednesday, November 1, 2017
www.echo.net.au Phone 02 6684 1777 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au 23,200 copies every week
Byron’s NBN roll out update – p4
QUESTIONING THE LEGITIMACY OF ENTRENCHED POWER STRUC TURES SINCE 1986
What our dearly elected did last Thursday – p6, 7
It’s National Recycling Week – p17
Want to be entertained? Gigs – p44
netdaily Sitting, knitting, knotting and plotting
Online in
www.echo.net.au/sitting-knittingknotting-plotting
Bus interchange plans divide Greens mayor, state MP
Don’t pick at it, dear…
Both the Greens mayor and Greens local state representative are at odds over the Butler Street Reserve location for a bus interchange in Byron Bay, which is currently being planned by Transport for NSW. Council’s general manager Ken Gainger announced the project last week on behalf of the state government; it was an election promise by the National Party.
Appalled: Greens MP
Last Sunday, Brunswick Heads School became what looked like a scene from TV’s Walking Dead. Ghosts, ghouls, goblins and zombies took to the school grounds in what has become the Shire’s unmissable horror Halloween event. Pictured are from left Sarah Burke, Holly Azzapardi and Renee Gordos. Photo Jeff ‘I’ll Bewitch Ya In A Moment’ Dawson
Council’s top brass apologise Council’s general manager (GM) Ken Gainger has apologised to the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan Leadership Group and the community after two large gums and a palm were cut down in Railway Park without warning. Additionally Council staff appear to have misled the community by saying via email to the Byron Environment Centre (BEC) that the
masterplan leadership team provided community feedback ‘that the BEC kiosk in Railway Square would best be located elsewhere.’ But Donald Maughan, co-chair of the Byron Bay Masterplan Team (BBMPT), told The Echo that, ‘The community group of the BBMPT had no knowledge of what was happening around the rotunda [kiosk] and do not know what is going on
Solar Rebate to Drop in 2018
with regard to the letter from Council to relocate.’ Maughan also says the outcome of the masterplan group’s meeting last Wednesday was ‘total confusion’. He said, ‘The BBMPT had been expecting a reasonably detailed plan on what was going to be happening in that zone at [the] masterplan meeting, but were disappointed as there seemed to be a lack of definition of exactly the perimeter of the zone advertisement
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we were talking about.’ Mayor Simon Richardson, who has also apologised to the community, told The Echo, ‘the masterplan leadership team were thrown under a bus.’ The mayor’s apology comes just weeks after departing shots from fellow Greens member Tom Tabart, who told The Echo the mayor is being continued on page 5
Greens Member for Ballina, Tamara Smith, said she is ‘appalled that our iconic market space in Butler Street is being replaced with a giant bus interchange.’ Ms Smith said, ‘There are so many innovative ways to do bus terminals these days; just look at what the Qld government is doing.’ ‘Losing an iconic public space and replacing it with a transport terminal does not seem innovative at all. ‘The idea that we have to lose a heritage neighbourhood and a wellloved community market space to make way for a bigger road, car spaces and a bus terminal seems to me very sad indeed,’ said Ms Smith. But those views don’t appear to be shared by fellow Greens party member and mayor Simon Richardson, who supports the interchange. He said Transport for NSW had decided on its relocation, and that there would be insufficient room on the railway reserve for buses to turn around ‘without significant land clearing’. The mayor said, ‘When we start talking about icons, I think when it comes to the Byron markets you need continued on page 3
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