DANCING TO THE TUNE OF BENFORD’S LAW SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 35 #20 • Wednesday, October 28, 2020 • www.echo.net.au
A playspace of collaboration West Byron as an STP? Aslan Shand
The redesign of Byron’s Railway Park has won the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects’ National Award of Excellence for Play Spaces. The judges described the Railway Park play space as ‘a sensitive and purposeful collaboration between the Council, the local community, and the region’s Aboriginal community, the Arakwal People’. Dan Plummer, who designed the park, told The Echo, ‘It’s great that the project is getting recognised like that. We are really thrilled that the park is being used really well by the community’. Photo of the park’s official opening last year by Jeff Dawson
Local events invited back Paul Bibby Local event organisers can now submit applications to Byron Council for events that exceed the size and scale limits imposed by current COVID-19 rules. Under an urgency motion passed unanimously at last week’s meeting, all councillors agreed to process such applications so that they would be ready to go if, and
when, restrictions are eased in the coming months. The cancellation of major festivals such as Bluesfest and Splendour in The Grass alone has cost this sector hundreds of millions in lost revenue, not to mention the thousands of smaller gigs, exhibitions and events that have also been cut from the calendar. An 86 per cent loss (economic and jobs) is projected for 2020.
Accused puppy killer Bob Stewart found guilty ▶ p5
Is the govt wilfully killing koalas? ▶ p8
Meanwhile, organisers of Splendour in the Grass are calling on the federal government to release critically needed funds to assist the struggling arts sector. On September 26, the government announced $22.9 million to support cultural institutions during COVID-19. An additional $800m was subsequently announced, yet it isn’t expected to be made available until until January 2021.
Ballina and Lennox news ▶ p12
November
Making beautiful spaces for your home ▶ p18
COVID-19 may have stopped our ‘March Maddness’ but it won’t stop our...
Drawn every Wed and Sat in November.
www.byronbayservicesclub.com.au
A path to degradation Councillor and long time activist against the West Byron development, Cate Coorey, also responded to Mr Pont’s articles, telling The Echo that, ‘It is evident in all the science and all the studies that this site [West Byron] was never suitable for intensive development’. ‘The state government let us down by ignoring Council, the community and the many studies when they went ahead and rezoned the land [for housing]. ‘It would be great if we were able to use some of that land to enable the Belongil and its catchment to recuperate and function how it’s supposed to, and to create resilience in our wetlands. ‘We will especially need this, as our waterways are the frontline for climate impacts. ‘Where we should be doing remediation and rehabilitations we are actually on a path to further degradation with so much development planned for this area’. Ms Smith also said that Mr Pont and other experts in the field have demonstrated that, ‘We need to act pretty quickly and expand the wetland area surrounding the [Byron STP] project with the expected growth in population and development already slated’. ‘Our community, led by Byron Shire Council, has shown great innovation and forward planning with its investment in the Byron STP and recycling effluent’.
Find clever folk who fix all manner of things in the Service Directory ▶ p34
MELBOURNE CUP TWO COURSE LUNCHEON
In the Pandanus Room From 12noon
IN CASH PRIZES
Jonson St, Byron Bay 02 6685 6878
Turning the West Byron site into a wetland for excess effluent from the Byron Bay Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) is a possible solution to its increased output, says Greens MP Tamara Smith and Byron Shire councillor Cate Coorey. Currently, the excess effluent flows from the wetland STP through farming land, making it useless to local farmers. Those landowners had agreed prior to 2002 to carry a flow of one or two megalitres a day across their property, via farm drains and the Union Drain, to the Belongil. Yet it has been consistently higher than this. Council staff predict that by 2025, demand will exceed the current licensed capacity of seven megalitres a day. Responding to recent Echo articles by Byron STP designer David Pont, local Greens MP, Tamara Smith, says, ‘Could Council purchase the West Byron lands and deliver on its commitment to expand the wetland area required to buffer the Sewerage Treatment Plant?’ ‘This could potentially be an amazing win-win for Byron Shire Council. ‘This could take the West Byron mega-development off the table permanently; offset the environmental impacts of acid sulfate soils (ASS) and pollution on the Belongil Estuary and Cape Byron Marine Park, and expand the wetland area that supports the STP’. In 2015, Council sought alternatives to running the excess water over local farmers’ lands. It recently approved a new route, using stormwater drains in the Byron A&I Estate. This route will operate in conjunction with the existing route
through the farms. However, Mr Pont points out that this will have negative impacts on the acid sulfate soils (ASS), the Belongil Estuary and is equivalent to an ocean outfall, a solution that was rejected by the community in the early 2000s.
SATURDAYS: 3x $500 draws 6pm, 6.30pm and 7pm WEDNESDAYS: 4x $250 draws 5.30pm, 6pm, 6.30pm & 7pm One free entry ticket available each day from 26/10/20 to all members by swiping your Membership Card at reception.
Draw dates: Sat 7, 14, 21 & 28 Nov. Wed 4, 11, 18 & 25 Nov.
TUESDAY 3RD NOVEMBER MAIN MEAL + DESSERT DRINK ON ARRIVAL | FREE RAFFLE TICKETS ALL THE ACTION ON THE BIG SCREENS FULL TAB FACILITIES
ONLY $35pp Limited seating – bookings essential