EVERYTHING SEEMED TO BE GOING JUST DANDY UNTIL THE ASTEROID HIT The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 37 #18 • October 12, 2022 • www.echo.net.au
Outdated ƐſëǔĶĈ
data underpins large residential lot proposal
Crime wave Searching for the housing balance hits Mullum Aslan Shand
Hans Lovejoy With the traffic report that accompanies a large residential rezoning proposal on the dangerous Mullumbimby Road and McAuleys Lane intersection relying on outdated and assumed data, The Echo asked Council staff if this was considered acceptable. As of going to press, staff were yet to reply on whether Council can intially require more accurate data from developers around such large significant residential proposals. A proposal for 33 large residential lots, six neighbourhood/community title lots and one ‘association/ Community Title lot’ is located next to that intersection and is on public exhibition on Council’s website. ▶ Continued on page 4
On Monday, a NFA (No Fixed Address) event was held at the Stan Robinson Park, around the Council chambers in Mullum, from 9 till 5pm. With permission from Council, it was co-organised by activist Sarah-Jane McGrath, pictured with Liz Friend, Ron Curran and Kim Goodrick. Sarah-Jane told The Echo the event was held in conjunction with Mental Health Day, and aimed to raise awareness and funding for the homeless. ‘It’s good timing, as [Council’s] holiday letting policy is on exhibition’, she said. Photo Jeff Dawson
Wategos mansion breaches height limit Paul Bibby The owner of two neighbouring multi-million-dollar mansions being built at Wategos Beach could be forced to rebuild part of one of the houses, after illegally breaching height regulations for the iconic precinct. According to a Byron Council report coming before this week’s planning meeting, the owner of 44 Brownell Drive illegally added an entertainment and amenities room to the roof-top pool area of the second mansion she is building,
effectively adding a fourth storey to the dwelling. The two, three-storey mansions, part of a dual occupancy on the 839-square metre site, already boast a combined total of eight bedrooms, four carports, two swimming pools and six bathrooms. When the height breach on the second house came to the attention of the private certifier involved in the development, the owner, Ms E L Cotton, elected to submit a development application to Byron Council retrospectively, seeking permission for the unauthorised building work. But Byron Council staff have given g
DV help DV charity through lighthouse walk, fashion ▶ p3 Oct 15 ▶ p4
this request short shrift, finding that the breach is inconsistent with the desired character of Wategos, and has the potential to impact the views and amenity of surrounding houses. The overall building height has increased to 9.879m, 9.4 per cent above the height limit for Byron Bay. In a letter of objection submitted in relation to the retrospective application coming before Council this week, the Wategos Beach Protection Association (WBPA) said the repeated attempts to increase the height and scale of the house were part of a deliberate ‘methodology’. p
‘In this case, we see a clear example of how overdevelopment of a site can be “gamed” by seeking and obtaining incremental breaches of various aspects of the LEP and DCP,’ the association’s Robin Ormerod said in the letter. ‘WBPA’s objection is particularly focused on the incremental methodology used in this type of development process. It is reminiscent of the colloquial expression: give them an inch and they take a mile.’ The matter will come before Byron Council for debate at this week’s Council planning meeting.
Byron deserves to house its community ▶ p18
Businesses and locals have been raising their concerns over the increase in abusive and aggressive behaviour and break-ins in Mullumbimby. Locals have reported that they have been woken by loud, abusive busking, fights and screaming while others have reported elderly people being screamed at by people with mental health issues on the streets. ‘A lot of my friends won’t let their kids walk around town on their own, and others won’t walk dogs on the streets of Mullum anymore, because of all the stray dogs,’ said one local business owner, who asked not to be named. ‘Two to three times a week, there is an altercation or fight outside my shop, and businesses have had windows smashed. I’ve been in the area for over 15 years, and over the last two years it has been getting progressively worse. I saw someone get stabbed at the pub about three months ago. That in itself was so shocking. ‘I see so much of it, especially the mental health issues. Drugs are definitely another issue. The drug deals are going on outside all the shops constantly all day. It just feels like Nimbin now.’ Detective Chief Inspector, Matt Kehoe, Officer in Charge of Byron Bay Police Station, told The Echo, ‘Yes, we are aware of the mental health and drug issues in, and around Mullumbimby at present, and I speak often with Jenelle [from the business chamber] and other shopkeepers in the CBD’. ▶ Continued on page 3
Get the scoop on some great local businesses ▶ p24
Urban planning’s greatest failure ▶ p34