THE BYRON SHIRE ECHO Advertising & news enquiries: Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au http://www.echo.net.au VOLUME 20 #39 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2006 22,300 copies every week $1 at newsagents only
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Will letting landslide bury Byron residents? Lesley Patterson
market, ’ added Mr Darney, who is Council’s Director of Planning, Development and Environment Services. Byron Bay is not the only town in New South where a substantial number of properties are holiday let, however, Mr Darney says the town is unique in that we have a lack of alternative land for new residential development. ‘Because of our environmental and servicing constraints it is quite difficult to obtain other residential lands. With between 600700 dwellings lost to conventional ownership because they are holiday let, it is difficult to find houses to replace that housing stock,’ he explained. Some landlords are up in arms about the prohibition of holiday letting in the draft LEP saying it is ‘an unrealistic position to take’. John Gudgeon from the Holiday Letting Organisation (HLO), which represents landlords told The Echo that the group had retained a ‘top level
planner to go through the LEP with a fine tooth comb’. ‘Anyone who has a property has a right to let that either in the short term or long terms. It is a fundamental right of any property owner to let it how they want,’ Mr Gudgeon said. HLO’s position is that holiday letting should be permitted in all residential areas and that noise and nuisance problems can be dealt with via the Holiday Letting Security Hotline. Byron Residents Against Community Erosion (BRACE) don’t agree and talk about instances where a landlord simply resigned from HLO after repeated complaints to the hotline. BRACE is supporting Council’s proposed ban on holiday letting in residential areas, pointing out that landlords are still able to buy properties in the commercial areas of town and in tourism zones which can legally be holiday let. ‘There are a massive number of units being built in the centre of town and landlords should be looking to buy there,’ said Glen Lawrence from BRACE. Muddying the debate over the proposed changes in the LEP is the question of whether residents should be able to rent out their homes at Christmas or Easter when they go on holiday themselves. Council has decided to allow this often lucrative practice by permitting letting for less than eight weeks a year without approval. The woman voted as best companion by the dogs of Mullumbimby, BRACE claim this could create a serious loophole in the Joy Vogel with Bouncer, Possum and 8, at Saturday’s first birthday planning regulations and is celebrations of the Animal Welfare Op Shop in Brunswick Heads. Byron Bay is struggling to cope with a raft of social challenges, but perhaps one of the most significant is the lack of affordable accommodation. Some community groups claim that holiday letting is a major cause of rising rent prices with up to one in five houses in Byron Bay’s residential areas let to holiday makers. ‘The more residential premises that go over to holiday letting, the less are available for workers, renters and owners,’ says Byron Shire Council’s Ray Darney. Council has moved to ban holiday letting in residential areas through its new draft Local Environment Plan (LEP) for the Byron Bay Area, which is currently open for public comment. ‘Some evidence shows that a substantial amount of money has been paid to purchase properties which are holiday let. This forces purchase prices up and makes it an investors’ market rather than a home owners’
Companion animals celebrate
Photo Jeff ‘Gone To The Dogs’ Dawson
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Coorabell goes daft about dahlias
Blooming beautiful: grower Steven Wedd among the dahlias. Photo Jeff ‘Precious Petal’ Dawson Lesley Patterson
‘It’s a boy thing,’ says Steven Wedd, explaining why men go mad about dahlias. Steven and his brother Bruce Wedd have been growing these vivacious flowers for around eight years at their farm on Friday Hut Road and picking up most of the dahlia prizes at the Coorabell Flower Show. There is something about dahlias which seems to appeal to the male of the species. On his travels to flower shows at Casino and Brisbane Steven Wedd says that the exhibitors he meets are predominantly male. Could it be that only men have the fierce sense of competitiveness needed to take out the top prize or that male retirees can spare the hours of work required to grow winning blooms? Motorists along Friday Hut Road can’t fail to be impressed by the sight of more than 350 beautiful, blooming dahlias at the Wedd’s family farm. Varieties range from the petite pink pompom called Pam to the stunning bright yellow
Eunice T with her 21cm wide cactus style blooms. Dahlia growing has always been a family affair with the Wedds. Bruce, Steven and sister Caroline started growing dahlias around eight years ago having caught the bug from their Aunt Joyce and Uncle George. Joyce and George have had dahlia fever for years and Steven reckons they could well have been exhibitors at the Coorabell Flower Show from the very beginning, over 40 years ago. According to Steven there is no such thing as a green thumb, success with gardening comes down to devoting enough time and attention. ‘I’d hate to think how much time I spend with the dahlias, it would be scary,’ he admits. Championship plants need a lot of TLC, regular watering, feeding, plenty of manure from the family cows and mulch. Every year after flowering each plant has to be lifted, labelled and stored in the old pig sheds, explains Steven, then replanted again in time for the next season. The delight at seeing a new
variety bloom and what he calls ‘the wow factor’ of some of the largest and brightest dahlias keeps Steven hooked. Rookie growers need not commit to such a regime and Steven’s advice is to use the same set up as tomatoes. Stake them strongly and choose the less demanding garden varieties over exhibition types. Although if you have a competitive streak then maybe ordering a few exhibition dahlias from a mail order specialist might see the start of something big. The Annual Coorabell Flower Show is on again this Saturday from 5pm at the Coorabell Hall. During the last few years the crowds have really started to build in numbers, attracted not just by the dahlias but by something which is becoming increasing rare, a slice of traditional country life. ‘People from the city come and say this is why they’ve come to the country,’ Steven says. Visitors will be guaranteed a stunning display of continued on page 2