THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 33 #02 Wednesday, June 20, 2018
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Community continues to pressure govt
Maintaining the rage – Byron residents turned up in droves to Sunday’s rally and told the government that the West Byron proposal is unacceptable. Photo Jeff Dawson Hans Lovejoy
With the Joint Regional Planning Panel (JRPP) holding a public meeting over West Byron on Tuesday June 18, around 800 locals rallied at Main Beach on Sunday before taking to the streets of the town to protest against the mega-suburb proposal. The crowd heard from deputy mayor Basil Cameron, NSW Greens MP Tamara Smith, NSW Labor candidate Asren Pugh, environmentalist Dailan Pugh, Cr Cate Coorey and MC Mark Swivel. Dailan Pugh told the gathering West Byron was ‘a done deal.’ ‘The developers said what they wanted and the department of planning did everything they could to facilitate it. ‘They ignored our evidence about the traffic chaos, the impact on koalas, the risk posed by acid sulfate soils, the vulnerability of the Belongil Estuary, the need for a set-back from Ewingsdale Road and that it is too
big for Byron Bay. They ignored numerous requirements of government and Council policies and strategies. Good planning was thrown out the window. ‘In July 2014, we did a Freedom of Information request that revealed that the planning department had failed to review or obtain independent expert advice on any of the issues we raised. They blindly accepted the developer’s assertions. ‘We went down to Sydney to meet the then planning minister Pru Goward in August 2014 in the vain hope that she would at least consider our concerns. Then we found out that the Department of Planning had finalised their assessment in May 2014. They had even failed to disclose their assessment with our Freedom of Information Request. ‘All our rallies, submissions and representations were totally ignored. ‘When the rezoning of the site was announced by Pru Goward in November 2014, the only change was to
increase the density of the development. They simply inserted a piece of Western Sydney, the size of Mullumbimby, into western Byron Bay. ‘Then we went through a farcical process of preparing a Development Control Plan (DCP). At least Council was allowed to prepare it, though it too has been ignored.’ He also said that the developers are proposing an acoustic barrier up to four metres tall on top of two metres of fill along Ewinsgdale Road opposite the Arts & Industry Estate. ‘Council has generously offered six metres of our Ewingdale Road reserve for an earth mound and plantings to partially obscure their wall. ‘10.6 ha of native vegetation is proposed for clearing, 1.8ha within Environmental Zones. 2.1ha of mapped coastal wetlands are proposed to be filled and built over. ‘The site is a vital link for maintaining connectivity between koala populations to the north and south; without it our coastal koalas are un-
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likely to survive. They intend to clear 2ha – 37 per cent – of the core koala habitat on the site and surround the rest with roads and houses. ‘Back in 2011 the developers promised to protect the wetland home of the nationally vulnerable Wallum Sedge frog in the middle of the site. Now they intend to cover it with three metres of fill for houses and roads. ‘There will be huge volumes of polluted runoff from the site, which will be directed into wetlands and the Belongil estuary within the Cape Byron Marine Park. The estuary is already in poor health; this is the last thing it needs. ‘Once again, the government has taken control away from Council. The Joint Regional Planning Panel is to decide our future. There are numerous grounds on which they could refuse these development applications. Though given their past history, I have no faith they will do so. At this late stage our only hope is to convince them that there is over-
whelming public opposition.’ The NSW planning department and Liberal MP Pru Goward have not replied to The Echo with regards to Dailan Pugh’s claims.
Nationals MLC reply MC Mark Swivel read out local Nationals MLC Ben Franklin’s speech, which began with an apology he couldn’t make the rally as he was ‘at a longstanding event in Cowra.’ Franklin said he shares the public’s concerns over environmental impacts, increased traffic and the lack of adequate infrastructure. ‘Right now, I do not believe that our town can cope with the outcomes that would result from it.’ He said that if the development is approved, ‘it is critical that the JRPP put in place conditions that address the nature of the development.’ Franklin added that includes ensuring environmental impacts are adequately addressed and there is infrastructure necessary to deal with it.
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