THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 31 #21 Wednesday, November 2, 2016
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A U S T R A L I A’ S P O P U L AT I O N I S M U C H S M A L L E R T H A N T H E E X P E C T E D U S V O T E R T U R N O U T F O R T R U M P. J U S T S A Y I N G
The trickle down A most grotesque The effect that National of Malcolm’s US election Bentley continues recycling popularity – p10 – Frazer – p18 to have – p20 week – p21
Decisions made last Thursday Plans to regulate holiday letting worked their way through Council at last Thursday’s meeting, with a successful vote that will seek to align policy with ‘other local government planning controls relating to more than two substantiated complaints.’ The policy is called Short Term Rental Accommodation (STRA), and the NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office (PCO) recently rejected Council’s proposal to address more than two substantial complaints of a property. However during debate, Gosford and Wyong councils were named as councils that have adopted a similar policy that Byron Shire Council is seeking. Additionally a six-month moratorium on enforcement action against existing landowners will apply once the policy is gazetted, ‘provided that use does not generate substantiated complaints relating to noise, amenity or public and occupant health and safety issues.’ Also included in Cr Sarah Ndiaye’s (Greens) motion was a request for two staff reports to be presented before year’s end. The first is to provide the ‘legal and planning avenues to ensure “granny flats/secondary dwellings” built without paying Council fees and or contributions are not being used and will not be used for short-term rental accommodation purposes.’ The second report requests advice on the ‘restrictions on Council to set fees on DA applications for short-term rental accommodation or registrations of short-term rental accommodation.’
p 24
netdaily Greens top Tweed poll, final seat unclear
Online in
www.echo.net.au/greens-toptweed-poll-final-seat-unclear
Face fright
An amendment by Cr Paul Spooner (Country Labor) was knocked back, which accepted the Parliamentary Counsel’s Office amendments but again requested the inclusion of Council’s original point seven for exempt development.
West Byron Another vote and another topic: all councillors – except Cr Alan Hunter, voted for Cr Cate Coorey’s motion to reject a request by West Byron developers to install sewage infrastructure on E2 and E3 environmental zones. The 1988 Byron LEP, or local environment plan, would have needed to be amended for it to occur. Reasons given include incompatibility with zoning objectives and that such changes ‘could set a negative precedent for management of environmental zones throughout the Shire.’ Additionally councillors voted to ‘defer consideration’ of the West Byron development control plan (DCP) until the next Council meeting (Crs Spooner and Hunter voted against). An amendment by Cr Paul Spooner (Country Labor) was defeated, which would have approved the DCP with an additional restriction. That stipulation was ‘Decks and verandahs for secondary dwellings not to exceed 20m2 in area[s] except in the RU1, RU2 and R5 zones.’ Only Crs Spooner and Hunter voted in favour. Q For the full minutes of Council’s October 27 meeting, visit www.byron.nsw.gov.au/meetings.
Unzipped zombie sisters Tiani and Payten were frightening, in the nicest possible way, on Saturday night at Bruns Public School’s Halloween Fester-Ville. Hundreds of families went to great effort to scare the bejeezus out of each other at the now infamous spooky dark fair. Photo Jeff Dawson
Nets rejected, spotting still pursued Council have resolved to partner with Sea Shepherd for a further shark-spotting program while rejecting the offer of nets from the state government. At last Thursday’s council meeting, Byron Shire Council’s Greens majority – with support from Crs Cameron and Hackett – voted as a ‘matter of urgency’ to pursue shark spotting as a non-lethal shark mitigation strategy. Two shark-net proposals – one from Cr Alan Hunter (National Party aligned) and another more detailed plan by Cr Paul Spooner (Country Labor) were knocked back. The vote against nets came despite Neil Cameron, president of Byron Bay Boardriders, telling the chamber in morning access that his club of
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around 100 members supports nets. He said he feared that if nothing was done more lives would be lost. The four councillors who voted for Cr Spooner’s shark-net proposal were Crs Basil Cameron (Our Sustainable Future), Crs Jan Hackett, Spooner (both Labor) and Hunter. It asked the state government for the nets as a ‘matter of urgency’. The motion also aimed to respond to entangled sea life through alert beacons and with support by human patrols on beaches, ‘except in the sanctuary zones within the Cape Byron Marine Park.’ Mayor Simon Richardson’s motion was instead voted for (Crs Spooner and Hunter voted against) and he told the chamber he suspects that the relatively low incident level
with nets may be owing to those nets being in areas which are patrolled. The motion will seek to ‘conduct shark-spotting trials at The Pass, Cosy Corner and Broken Head, and to prepare for a summer holiday spotting program at Wategos.’ Gyrocopters and drone trials will also be requested of the state government. Meanwhile, the Ballina Council majority supported a shark net trial motion at their meeting last Thursday. And the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) have invited residents to complete an online survey canvassing community views on a trial of shark nets on locations from Evans Head to Lennox Head. Q The survey is at www.dpi.nsw. gov.au/sharks until November 6.
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