The Byron Shire Echo – Issue 36.38 – March 2, 2022

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HIGH AND DRY, BUT MOSTLY HIGH, SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 36 #38 • March 2, 2022 • www.echo.net.au

Councillors hold line on 90-day holiday letting limit

Flood catastrophe, again

Mia Armitage

The Mullumbimby Neighbourhood Centre are asking for clean towels, bedding, clothes, food and kids’ toys in the wake of Monday’s devastating floods. Lola the dog and Oliver Fernley, evacuated to the Mullum RSL with his dad, sister and cat when their New City Road home went under water on Monday. Hundreds of people and animals were forced out of their homes into emergency shelter around the north of the Shire. Photo Jeff Dawson Hans Lovejoy The massive February 28 flooding event for the the north of the Shire is just starting to ease, and the full extent is still unclear. The weather event and flooding covered Gypie in Qld, down to Grafton, in NSW. Locally, residents sought refuge on rooftops, roads and bridges were damaged and demolished, the M1 highway was blocked, a large landslip occurred in Federal, and livestock have drowned. The mobile phone service was

‘Significant fraud’ surrounds govt grants ▶ p4

cut in Mullum, and as of Tuesday had not been restored. While the cost of property damage is yet to be counted, it appears considerably more than any previous flood in memory.

Caught by surprise Lismore’s 2022 flood levels were above both 1974 and 1954 records, according to www.bom.gov.au, after the ‘Wilsons River at Lismore peaked at 14.40 metres around 3pm on Monday’. And it caught both authorities and residents by surprise – BoM flooding

alerts were still being listed as ‘moderate’ for the Brunswick River and Marshalls Creek at Mullumbimby and Billinudgel on Sunday at 11pm. By 4.33am, a major flood warning was issued for Billinudgel and Mullum. Then at 4.53am, evacuation advice was given for Billinudgel residents. In the weeks leading up to February 28, it has been very wet, with consistent rain the region. On Monday morning, Ocean Shores residents evacuated to the Golf Club, while in Mullum, impacted and rescued residents gathered in Council’s foyer and

Govt planning reform accused of lacking local consultation ▶ p6

then later the town’s RSL. Yet through the shock and loss, there was camaraderie. Offers of holiday homes for displaced families were posted online, and neighbours assisted the elderly and their pets into boats to escape the flood waters. As expected, the sheer enormity of the disaster overwhelmed emergency services. North coast residents were heavily impacted five years ago almost to the day – on March 28, 2017 – by Ex-Cyclone Debbie. And just two years ago, flooding also caused damage to the region.

What’s a North Byron Catchment Flood Risk Management Study and Plan ▶ p10

Celebrating NR women in business for Int’l Womens Day ▶ p18

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Byron Shire councillors voted at last week’s meeting to continue lobbying the state government for a 90-day cap on holiday rentals in certain parts of the shire. Mayor Michael Lyon backed the staff suggestion in Thursday’s ordinary Council meeting with ultimate support from most councillors. Independent Crs, Alan Hunter, and Mark Swivel, were the only two to vote against. Cr Swivel said it seemed the state government had ‘dug in’, and he wondered whether it was appropriate to ‘continue raising hopes across the sector’, while Cr Hunter referred to short-term holiday letting restrictions in the Byron Shire as a ‘passion project’ for Council. As the only self-described conservative member on Council, Cr Hunter used the discussion as an opportunity to advise the mayor to work more closely with the government’s ‘local representative’ on the Northern Rivers, Nationals upper house member Ben Franklin. Cr Hunter suggested previous Greens mayor, Simon Richardson, had set a good example on that front. The NSW Ballina electorate, however, is represented by Greens MP, Tamara Smith. Councillors had met with staff a week earlier to discuss a recent economic impact report and peer review of the proposed change. Consultants working for a company called Urbis carried out the initial report, which advocated ▶ Continued on page 2

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