THE BYRON SHIRE Volume 24 #27 Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Mullumbimby 02 6684 1777 Byron Bay 02 6685 5222 Fax 02 6684 1719 editor@echo.net.au adcopy@echo.net.au www.echo.net.au 21,000 copies every week
Our new property guide starts on page 51 SEE LEVEL, RISE TO IT
Last call for Arts Classic entries Council to work through illegal dwelling issues Michael McDonald
Ri Fraser enters her Dragon in the reincarnated Byron Arts Classic while coordinator Tess Cullen minds Diwali’s painting ‘Durga’. Entries for the January 7-11 exhibition close on December 14. With $10,000 worth of prizes on offer, it’s worth getting busy. Originally established in 1982, the Byron Easter Arts Classic quickly became an iconic showcase of the region’s creative spirit with the awards night a don’t-miss community event. The awards night on Friday January 8 will be hosted by Mandy Nolan. For details email artsclassic@byroncentre.com.au or phone Tess Cullen at the Byron Community 6685 6807. Photo Jeff ‘Pour Me Another Chiaroscuro, Bartender’ Dawson.
Crime spree hits Bangalow and Byron Bay Eve Jeffery & Victoria Cosford
was still a crime scene late Monday. Other businesses in the town were attacked in the early hours – Bangalow Hair had a small amount of damage to a rear entrance when an attempt to jimmy the door failed when the perpetrator was unable to break the lock, and staff at Utopia Café spent the morning tidying up after thieves ransacked the business searching for cash. Last Thursday, between 6.30pm and 7am the next day, thieves forced their way inside a clothing store on Byron Street at Bangalow and stole $180,000 of designer brand clothing. The brands stolen include TRBD, Citizen Jeans, Gypsy 05, Replay and Fwy. Anyone who can help should contact Byron Bay Police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Bangalow fell victim to a crime spree in the early hours of Monday morning in a series of events that has left locals shaken and traumatised. A delivery driver at Bangalow Newsagency was accosted and threatened with a machete a short time after he arrived for work at the Byron Street business, when a man in a balaclava appeared out of nowhere and demanded the keys to the safe. The assailant followed the driver onto the premises and terrorised him before cutting phone lines and threatening to tie the worker up. The victim, who is a local wishing to remain anonymous, managed to escape when the armed man forced him to retrieve his mobile phone from his vehicle. The victim Bay café cleaned out Barely open five months, the Afdrove away before calling police. The staff member and the owners rican Village Café in Jonson Street, of the business spent several hours Byron Bay, was recently broken into. with the police and the premises Unaware that they had been recorded
on the RSL surveillance camera, the three thieves ‘cleaned the place out’, according to owners Martina Winch and Manie Ackah. Damage was extensive and has been devastating, as well as costly, to them both. Much of their stock is sourced outside of Byron Bay from places like Brisbane and so the couple had to close the premises for several days for re-stocking. Not only was food and coffee stolen but also the equipment Manie uses in his regular live music sessions at the café – and despite its subsequent retrieval by police, much of it was damaged or broken. ‘It’s been a really stressful time’, Martina told The Echo. ‘We were just getting on our feet. We didn’t think that something like this would happen in a town like Byron Bay. The owners declined to press charges, believing that the offenders,who evidence suggests were under the influence of drugs, ‘need to be rehabilitated rather than sent to jail...’
Despite a staff report which called for a policy of ‘zero tolerance’ towards illegal development Byron Shire councillors resolved last week to take a gradual approach to sorting out the issues. Council is also looking at establishing a development control plan (DCP) for Affordable Rural Housing which will look at options such as expanded housing, attached dual occupancies, rural workers’ dwellings, multiple occupancies, holiday cabins, studios, and camping grounds or manufactured home estates. As a first step Council will write to all property owners on its unlawful dwelling list ‘to inform them that Council believes they have unlawful dwellings, and request them to respond and provide Council with any approvals or information they may have in relation to approvals’.
Affordable housing plan Any concessions to rural landowners under a DCP for affordable housing would require ‘a condition to be placed on title that these concessions are for the purpose of providing affordable housing and must be relinquished if the use ceases’. The Draft DCP would include a sunset clause of two years for receiving applications. Mayor Jan Barham told The Echo, ‘Council is very aware of the need for affordable housing in the rural areas and with the known unapproved dwellings we will consider variations to current planning options to provide the opportunities for approval. ‘The issue is not just about regulation, Council must consider the social and safety requirements of the community and how we can provide additional housing for those who are in need.’ In recent times Council has been accused of hypocrisy over its stance on illegal development – failing to enforce its zoning regulations in relation to
urban holiday letting yet at the same time cracking down on illegal rural dwellings. In a related matter, Council also set its compliance priorities for 2010. Listed as ‘Very High’ are any development, action, works or activity that places people’s lives at risk, including places of shared accommodation, unapproved dwellings and unapproved use of dwellings; any development, action, works or activity that causes or is likely to cause environmental harm or pollution; and dangerous and/or uncontrolled dogs, livestock on public roads. High priorities are an audit of a percentage of development applications for compliance with consent conditions; companion animals education and management strategies; noise disturbance, public nuisance from premises, non compliance with alcohol free zones; traffic and parking enforcement; unauthorised events, including ‘doof ’ and ‘rave’ parties; camping in public streets and reserves.
High non compliance A staff report on the compliance priorities noted: ‘Despite an active compliance program and publicity given to some court matters, there is still a high level of non compliance in the Shire across a range of issues. In matters of illegal development, for example, there appears to be a culture that focuses on who lodged the complaint and the inconvenience of being investigated, rather than genuine concern about the failure to obtain approvals or consent which created the issue in the first place.’ In 2008/2009 Council received 609 requests for compliance action – 172 for illegal building works, 96 for illegal business operation, 112 about illegal land clearing, 156 about general illegal development, 29 about illegal earthworks, eight about fire safety issues, 33 about illegal land use and three about swimming pool issues.
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www.crystalcastle.com.au Open 7 Days 10am-5pm (NSW time) 81 Monet Drive, Mullumbimby 40 mins from Tweed Heads 20 mins from Byron Bay (02) 6684 3111
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