RADICAL BLEETING SHEEPLE SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 35 #51 • Wednesday, June 1, 2021 • www.echo.net.au
Large parking lot proposed for Byron rail corridor Plans to rezone transport corridor land to private use south of Mitre 10 near the new bypass have stirred neighbours into action, with claims it would set a precedent and has ‘no place in future-proofing Byron Bay’. In a letter to neighbouring residents, Council staff say the land has been sold by Transport for NSW to ‘private ownership’. ‘The rezoning will enable a car park over part of this site’. Council staff say design details will be available at the development stage, ‘where you will have another opportunity to provide comment’. ‘The southern part of the property is proposed to have E2 Environmental Conservation and E3 Environmental Management zones applied to facilitate revegetation of this area’. Affected resident Vivienne Swann told The Echo she believes the car park proposal is multi level.
Retrograde 1960s concept She said, ‘Brisbane banned multilevel parking lots some time ago. Byron Bay must never be allowed to build multi-storey parking lots anywhere in town – we simply cannot allow this to happen because it will set a precedent. It’s a retrograde 1960s concept which has no place in future-proofing Byron Bay’. She describes it as ‘a 150 metre long eyesore of concrete and steel all set in a beautiful wooded area. ‘A proposed multi-level car park smacks of gross mismanagement and retrograde lack of planning, not to mention complete contempt for the locals who live here, ▶ Continued on page 3
Protocols on film productions reviewed ▶ p7
Bye Bruns Picture House, for now
Big Byron DA approved, despite ecologist concerns Paul Bibby
After more farewell shows than Johnny Farnham, the home of wild and wooly cheeky cabaret last weekend marked the last show till Christmas. Bruns Picture House co-director, Brett Haylock said, ‘Finally, we are about to start significant refurbishment on our classic little venue. We’ll maintain all the charm, but up the comfort and utility of the Picture House – new toilets, air-conditioning, new seating and more’. Photo Jeff Dawson
Young peeps share views on improving Shire Paul Bibby Local young people should have a more direct say in decisions about the future of the Shire, a group of students has told Byron Council. The Year 9 and 10 students from Mullumbimby High School addressed last week’s meeting as part of the YouthSay program, offering an all-too-rare insight into the views and concerns of local youth. Among five key areas of priority identified by the students was the request for a youth council so that young people could make direct
representations about the issues that mattered to them. ‘Young people have a unique point of view and we believe it should be included,’ Safiya Wilkinson told the Council meeting. ‘A youth council would give us a voice in a world where we are unheard,’ she said. The key issues that the young leaders wanted to be heard on were better public transport, greater accessibility for people with disabilities, measures to reduce the impact of illegal camping, and improved housing affordability.
Resisting the perverse, unethical and unsustainable narrative ▶ p8
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North Coast Local News ▶ p10
May Morgan said that the group recognised there were buses in the Shire, but that there weren’t enough services and they ran at irregular times. This created safety issues because it meant many young people had to ride a bike or walk in the dark, and that some were forced to hitchhike. ‘What we would like to see is Byron Council presenting our ideas to bus companies and seeing if there are any other times that are available,’ May said. ▶ Continued on page 3
A tribute to Michael Vider, aka Astro Boy ▶ p11
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The Magic of Murwillumbah ▶ p23
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A 10-house development near the centre of Byron Bay has been approved despite lingering concerns about its impact on a neighbouring wetland area. The project at 6 Keats Street will see 10 detached dwellings, each with a plunge pool, built on a 6,000 square metre property. The property abuts the Cumbebin swamp, and some have argued that the proposed 21m gap between the houses and the sensitive wetland area is insufficient. Byron Council’s own ecologist expressed concern about this issue, stating in a report that: ‘the application has not adequately demonstrated that significant impacts on the coastal wetland will be avoided by the development, owing to the limited buffer width’. Council staff and the developer endeavoured to address this concern by including the construction of a 90cm metal fence among a long list of consent conditions. But Greens Mayoral aspirant Duncan Dey, who was hired by an objector to the development to investigate potential problems with storm water, said this would not address the problem. ‘A vertical physical barrier does not constitute a buffer, which is a lateral distance,’ Mr Dey said. ‘If a lateral distance is required then trimming back the number of dwellings would be a potential outcome that councillors could consider.’ But the developer, Zac ▶ Continued on page 4
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