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au Te Byron Shire Echo October 9, 2012 15

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Letters/Articles
Consequently, they would
not condone dishonourable
epithets such as unflushable
turd of Australian politics (of
another PM, no less!) or Jack
the Ripper (a homicidal sexual
predator) or a leader of the Op-
position.
As all, all honourable men
and women, they would, we
know, not condone a parlia-
mentarian being said to have
the face of a rapist.
As all, all honourable men
and women, they would cen-
sure the wish that another
parliamentarian be raped by
a dog. As all, all honourable
men and women (remember
their personal integrity!) they
would express aversion to min-
isterial attacks on a victim of
alleged sexual harassment.
Tese people of considerable
self-professed personal integ-
rity must therefore have spo-
ken about the above matters in
very withering terms!
Tat we have not heard them
means that the media have ef-
fectively muzzled their criti-
cisms a shameful act of cen-
sorship.
J Rose
Mullumbimby
Building approval
Dailan Pughs letter in last
weeks Echo urging a re-think
on the state governments in-
tent to scrap Byron Councils
proposed rural conservation
zonings at first take appears
reasonable until you consider
that it will result in yet another
layer of bureaucratic interfer-
ence on landholder useage.
Lets look at the situation in
Byron Shire regarding getting a
building approval for a home,
or even an extension to an
existing home, on a common
rural bush block. Te DA will
cost you between $20,000 and
$30,000. Heres the list: coun-
cil DA fees, DA consultant,
architect or drafsman, engi-
neer, surveyor, soil-testing guy,
sewage consultant, bushfire
guy and the ecology guy. Te
latter two are in a savage battle
for supremacy within Council
and when you add in BASIX,
a state-government manda-
tory computer-driven building
code, you have a distinct trend
towards WWII pillbox archi-
tecture. Its a joke.
Tere are people, both with-
in Council and without, who
regard a mix of privet, lantana,
camphor laurel and blackwood
trees as rainforest. To get a DA
through the ecology guy you
have to physically remove the
crap by hand before a report is
prepared and only then, if the
DA gets through, can you get
the heavy equipment in.
Tis is reminiscent of the
old RED scheme of the early
70s when councils dug trench-
es by hand and equipment lay
idle in order to meet federal
funding criteria, except in this
case it is you, the applicant,
who has to sweat like a navvy
in order to meet unreasonable
council criteria.
Tats the current situation,
yet Pugh wants to increase the
beauracratic load. Te Dailan
Pughs of this world simply en-
sure the employment of armies
of professionals, each jockey-
ing to construct their personal
pyramids, their careers as it
were, at the ratepayers expense
and the result is basically the
same as if you did away with
virtually the lot.
Lester Brien
Byron Bay
Upgraolng tbe Paclc Hlgbway
Tlntenbar to Lwlngsoale
Roaos ano Marltlme Servlces (RMS) bas engageo
8auloerstone Pty Lto to oeslgn ano construct tbe 17
kllometre Paclc Hlgbway upgraoe trom Tlntenbar to
Lwlngsoale.
Construction activities between October and
November 2012 (subject to change) include:
Start ot substantlal constructlon.
Clearlng ot vegetatlon, bulk eartbworks, eroslon ano
seolment control, tenclng ano water quallty baslns.
Dralnage lnstallatlon across tbe project.
Constructlon ot access tor brloge constructlon, sbeet plllng
ano constructlon ot worklng plattorms tor Mlnor, Lmlgrant,
Sklnners, 8yron ano Tlnoerbo creeks.
Start constructlon ot tbe twln brloges over 8yron Creek.
Lstabllsbment ot slte access gates ano lnstallatlon ot satety
barrlers ano slgnage.
Trlal controlleo blast to be conoucteo.
Anclllary slte compounos to be bullt at Lwlngsoale, Ross
Lane, olo sb tarm at Knockrow ano Mlnor Creek.
|nstallatlon ot satety barrlers ano slgnage.
Conouctlng a trlal controlleo envlronmental burn.
Commenclng local roao upgraoes at 8roken Heao Roao,
8angalow Roao, |vy Lane, St Helena Roao, Martlns Lane
West ano Tlnoerbo Roao.
Construction hours
Monoay to Frloay trom 7am to 6pm ano Saturoay trom 8am
to 1pm.
For tbe satety ot motorlsts, peoestrlans ano constructlon
workers, please observe all project slgnage ano tratc control
olrectlons ourlng constructlon.
For further information, comments or
complaints please contact 1800 882 787 (toll tree),
Email communityinfo@t2e.com.au or
write to Reply Paid 85913 PO Box 604,
Bangalow NSW 2479 (no stamp requlreo),
or visit www.rms.nsw.gov.au/pacic
(see Tlntenbar to Lwlngsoale project)
Q I wish to bring to the atten-
tion of your readers a develop-
ment application, which came
before the new council, for
2729 Station Street, Mullum-
bimby. Te planning staf have
opted to refuse this application
for a variety of reasons. The
council has deferred any deci-
sion pending further negotia-
tions with the applicant.
In plain English this pro-
posal is too big, too high and is
not within the guidelines of the
DCP(2010) and I quote, where
council is satisfied that the
proposed dwellings are com-
patible with adjacent existing
housing and do not unneces-
sarily intrude on the privacy
of neighbours. My main con-
cern is that a proposal such as
this, if successful, would set an
unwelcome precedent for the
heritage areas of Mullumbimby
and for the rest of the Shire. A
design of such bulk and scale
would be more suited to an
inner-city suburb, not a small
country town.
Chris Cooney
Mullumbimby
QCr Alan Hunter made his pro-
development stance clear in last
weeks Echo and he is not the
only councillor of this view. A
highly controversial precedent-
setting enormous two-storey
five-townhouse development,
squeezed onto two adjacent
blocks in Station Street, is being
voted on at next council meet-
ing. Im wishing to alert resi-
dents to this alarming situation.
Cr Hunter spoke against BSC
own planning departments de-
cision to reject this DA, men-
tioning the issues of privacy
and loss of views as trivial. He
claimed that privacy is a two
way street; however I dont
think it will be equal either
side. If I choose to look up into
a frst-storey (3m from ground
level) or a second-storey win-
dow, one of fve likely to over-
look my property (window lo-
cations and a shadow diagrams
were conveniently left out of
this DA), I may see a person or
two looking at me, framed by
a window. What they and the
other four townhouse residents
would see is my backyard, what
I and my daughter do in it, who
is over for lunch and so on.
Te other diference is they
chose to buy/rent a unit over-
looking my backyard. I did not
choose my house hoping fve
two-storey units would be built
next door! The other unfor-
tunate property owner on the
north side has five proposed
balconies looking directly
over and into their house and
backyard! One of many BSC
planning department reasons
for rejection was unacceptable
loss of privacy to neighbours.
Would Cr Hunter like to live
next door? As for nothing
cant be fxed with screens, how
many boundary-suitable plants
do you know that grow 8.6m
high and how long does that
take, Cr Hunter?
Tis DA was rejected by BSC
town planners for numerous
issues and breaches including
bulk and size (height 8.6m), in-
suf cient green space for rain
water absorption, and failure
to be in keeping with the style
and character of the street as
outlined by the Mullumbimby
DCP. For BSC actual objections
refer to report www.byron.nsw.
gov.au under meeting Septem-
ber 27. Of course there will also
be a loss of peace, quiet, clean
air and the ability to relax in my
backyard!
Why is this so important? If
this DA is approved by Byron
Shire councillors, a precedent
will be set by which all homes
on large blocks or adjacent
blocks are in danger of being
pulled down and two-storey
medium-density units being
built instead. It will be dif cult
for BSC to justify rejection of
other similar DAs if this one
is approved. Tis may not just
happen in Mullumbimby but all
over the Byron Shire. Tis could
happen next door to you.
Goodbye, beautiful green,
character-filled quiet streets,
hello Tweed Heads, sister town!
Lets all watch the correspond-
ing drop in tourism and prop-
erty prices while the developers
make heaps of money.
If you want to stop this DA,
lobby all of the councillors by
email (addresses on the BSC
website). If youd like to help
fght this precedent or sign a pe-
tition, contact me on simone@
spiritpoints.net.au.
Simone Ormsby
Mullumbimby
A controversial proposal for Station Street
Pin This Up
DEADLINE FRIDAY NOON
AA info night
Te Byron Shire district of Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA) is holding a Public
Information Meeting on Friday 12 Oc-
tober 78.30pm at the Byron Commu-
nity Centre, 69 Jonson Street, Byron
Bay. Tel 1800 423 431 or 0401 945 671
for further information.
Friendship tea
Ladies Friendship Morning Tea at the
Uniting Church hall, Fingal St, Brun-
swick Heads, on Wednesday 10 Octo-
ber 2012 from 10am to 12 midday. Enq
Robin on 6685 1097.
Garden club AGM
Byron Bay and District Garden Club
AGM will be at 1pm on Saturday 13
October at Byron Bay RSL. Enquiries
phone 6685 7816.
Social art group
at the Ocean Shores Community Gal-
lery Rajah Road (adjacent to Target
Country). Wednesdays at 1.30pm, BYO
equipment. Phone Barbara on 6684
4148 for details.
Byron Sophia
Byron Sophia Philosophical Group:
Connecting of the body, mind and
spirit, using food as medicine. Turs-
day, 11 October 13pm, at Masonic
Centre, 6 Byron St, Byron Bay. Info
Celia 6684 3623.
BHCCC AGM
Brunswick Heads Community Care
Council will be holding their AGM on
Friday 9 November at 1pm at Brun-
swick Heads Community Centre.
Friends, clients, new members andold
are welcome to attend. Community
Care provides emergency relief ser-
vices at Brunswick Community Centre
every Friday 10am12noon.
Ocean Shores Garden Club
Te Ocean Shores and Districts Garden
Clubs next meeting is on Monday 15
October at 1.30pm at St Anselms An-
glican Church, Orana Road, Ocean
Shores. Guest speaker is Jon Bennett,
who will talk on growing roses on the
coast and clivias. Enq Laurel 6680 2455.
Friends of Library
Byron Friends of the Library will hold
their next meeting at Byron Services
Club on Wednesday 17 Oct at 10.30am.
Church op shop
Mullumbimby Uniting Church Op
Shop celebrates its 20th birthday Sat
13 Oct 8am12noon. Free morning tea,
sausage sizzle $2 10am12noon. Enter-
tainment by Lou Bradley. All clothing
half price, lots of other goodies to buy.
Enq Elaine Robinson 6684 2627.
Church garage sale
Garage sale Anglican church Mul-
lumbimby Saturday 13 November
8am1pm. Great items so be early for
a bargains, single beds, cane chairs,
household, books, bric-a-brac.
U3A Ballina/Byron
At our next meeting on 16/10/12 at
10am in the CWA rooms, Brunswick
Heads, Tanja Nelson will speak about
Steiner education. All welcome. En-
quiries 6685 1982.
Compassionate Friends
Te Compassionate Friends is a caring
support group for any parent whose
child has died at any age. It offers
sharing meetings on the third Turs-
day of each month at 7.30pm at the
Activities Centre, rear of the Baptist
Church, Uralba Street, Lismore. Te
next evening sharing meeting of Te
Compassionate Friends will be held at
7.30pm on Tursday 18 October. Enq
6621 4086 or 6621 5558.
Kohinur Hall AGM
October 19 at 5pm. All interested par-
ties welcome.
U3A Brunswick Valley
Tuesday 16 October, Belle Arnold will
speak on national and local Indige-
nous perspectives, Native Title, and
local land councils 10am12, Unit-
ing Church hall, Fingal St, Brunswick
Heads. Phone 6684 3126. Monday
Ladies Table Tennis, 10am12, SGB.
Phone 6680 4053. Thurs Morning
Group. 10.15am12.15pm, Mullum.
Phone 6684 4029.
Please note: this section is intended
for the benefit of non-profit com-
munity groups, not for invitations to
free events to be followed up by paid
workshops.
ADVERTISE IN OUR STYLISH TIMBER COVERED COMPENDIUM
BYRON INSIDE OUT SUPPLIED TO OVER 700 LOCAL 4 & 5
STAR HOLIDAY LETS AND RESORT ROOMS.
READERSHIP OF 200 000 PER YEAR.
NEXT DEADLINE 19
th
OCTOBER
Call or Text Larissa Lancaster: 0416 759 093
Email: larissa@adheremarketing.com.au to request a media kit.

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