APPOINTING ITSELF TO MINISTRIES SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 37 #10 • August 17, 2022 • www.echo.net.au
Mayor Lyon defends lƖōōƖŔ żşĎ ǕëƆĈş Hans Lovejoy
Earthenware on the map
Animals, and especially birds, feature heavily in Catherine Lane’s ceramics. Her North Ocean Shores studio was one of more than a dozen around the Shire to open their doors to the public during last weekend’s North Coast Mud Trail. Photo Jeff ‘Bustard Pots’ Dawson
Planning Dept investigates festival site Paul Bibby The company which owns and manages North Byron Parklands is being investigated by the NSW Department of Planning over traffic safety breaches that occurred during last month’s Splendour in the Grass festival. As the mud dries following the troubled event, a spokesperson for the Department said that it was investigating whether the organisers had met their conditions of consent. This investigation would determine whether the Department needed to take ‘enforcement action’. General Manager of North Byron Parklands, Mat Morris, told The Echo that the investigation was in
Large contentious Bruns DA ushered through ▶ p5
relation to breaches of traffic rules that occurred on Thursday July 21 as patrons poured into the site for the start of the festival. ‘On the Thursday when we had traffic entering into Tweed Valley Way and the highway there was a breach,’ Mr Morris said. ‘We had traffic queuing back onto the Pacific Highway and that was clearly a breach.’
Self-reported Mr Morris said that, in accordance with planning rules, North Byron Parklands had self-reported the breaches to the Department. ‘Under our consent conditions, when we identify that we haven’t met a condition it’s on us to put our
Catherine Cusack’s take on a collapsing education sector ▶ p10
hand up for that, and that’s what we’ve done,’ he said. Mr Morris said that the ‘predominant reason’ for the breaches was the weather conditions, but that it was ‘not appropriate’ for him to comment further. He said that, following a meeting with the Department, North Byron Parklands had agreed to provide a peer-reviewed traffic assessment that Departmental officers would use as part of their investigation. The investigation is the latest chapter in the troubled story of Splendour in the Grass 2022. The festival suffered significant flooding on July 21 and 22, which caused major delays for those ▶ Continued on page 7
Mayor Michael Lyon has defended Council’s handling of the ongoing Mullum pod accommodation debacle, telling The Echo that councillors requested, through a Council resolution, that Resilience NSW conduct consultation with neighbouring residents regarding the rail corridor works on Prince Street. It comes as around 40 to 50 locals gathered outside the Byron Shire Council chambers last Thursday to highlight the risks of, and lack of due process around, the selection of the flood accommodation pod site in Mullum. The reply from the mayor was sought after Mullum resident, Louise Gordon, expressed frustration to councillors at their Thursday meeting. Ms Gordon said her questions remain unanswered by Council. She told councillors, ‘If passing the buck was an Olympic sport, it would be Gold, Gold, Gold for Byron Shire Council’. ‘People in Mullumbimby are still flood-traumatised and weary from the huge effort it’s taken to put their lives back together. This thoughtless development has added a whole new level of anxiety. ‘Why isn’t Council advocating for our concerns to Resilience NSW or NRRC? And where is the famous “engaged community consultation”’ that Byron Shire Council touts as part of their culture and masterplan? ‘You have literally sold this community down the river. Who exactly at you represent? Not me, is it that he hundreds of people that nor the con willl bear the serious consequences
Olivia Newton-John n and the fantastic tale ale of Fern Gully ▶ p17
of this extremely ill-considered decision. ‘Be adults: admit you have made a grave mistake, apologise, and start finding ways of rectifying the dangerous situation that you have negligently dumped this community in. You really owe this to the community who elected you, and pays your wages’. When Ms Gordon had finished her speech, all councillors sat in silence and did not ask any questions.
Very forthright mayor Cr Lyon later told The Echo, ‘What Louise is saying is simply not true, and we have been very forthright about our role, what we are looking to achieve, the sites that have been preferred and where we are in the process with them’. ‘We have been advocating directly on behalf of concerned residents to Resilience NSW and requested through Council resolution that they conduct consultation regarding the rail corridor site in Prince St with neighbouring residents. We also facilitated a meeting between the head of the NRRC and the MRA. ‘The hospital site was put forward but ruled out due to it not being ready. There is still remediation work to complete relating to asbestos contamination and an audit required before it can be used, thus it is not suitable as a site for immediate emergency use. Many of the proposed sites have issues, and finding suitable land is a massive challenge across the region. This is not a challenge that ▶ Continued on page 3
Sporty P Protesting for the right to McSportface ▶ p39 protest! ▶ p20
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