As a ratepayer who is about to collectively subsidise a retaining wall at three properties on Belongil Spit, I’m curious to know what equity we get for our dollars?
Collectively, ratepayers are paying approximately ten times that required of the landowners. So, can we use their showers after a trip to the beach? Expect the odd cut sandwich?
As other community services will have to be cut and rates are increasing at the maximum allowed now, maybe our equity in these properties can transform a section of them into a women’s refuge? Homes for the homeless? Discuss.
Roy Geiger, Byron Bay
Thanks Roy this is wise . So, we collectively own the wall. We can even apply for a Creative Commons public domain license so it’s free for everyone to use. We can negotiate how we’d like to decorate – maybe on a time share basis? Eg I’ll get to paint my Kurt Cobain mural and have it there for 3 months before I pay to remove it for the next artist to take over. Another may wish to advertise political slogans for their appointed block of time. Some may like to convert the wall into a climbing and circus practice utility, for their 3 months. Lets get talking – how can we best make use of this new, non-private installation? Ive hung galleries before – What about as a public outdoor art gallery?
We wanted to buy a house in Cavanbah St in 1976 for $13,500 but the bank wouldn’t lend us 10K because they said the house was in a coastal erosion zone and could be washed away in a cyclone.
The Council brought in the Planned Retreat Policy in the 1980,s.
Why on Earth did these people buy/build East of there on the Spit after this,especially in light of the damage from the 1974 Cyclone.I know people who sold up and moved from Belongil after that.
There hasn’t been a cyclone that bad since but one day one will sit off the coast for a week like in 1974 and the sea will go right over the whole Spit, rock walls or not.
When their houses are washed away like a whole street was in 1974, will these people then blame the Council (hence ratepayers) and want compensation?
This whole scenario is bizarre.
Whati,s the old biblical saying? -” Build upon the Rock and not upon the Sand!” I did pay attention at Sunday School.
Sorry Roy you too have been sucked in by misinformation in the current anti rock propaganda campaign.
You said, “As a ratepayer who is about to collectively subsidise a retaining wall at three properties on Belongil Spit, I’m curious to know what equity we get for our dollars?”
Roy, the proposed rock wall will replace the current geo-bag wall and unlike the current works, which are prone to catastrophic failure with high maintenance costs, it will protect a Public Road, beach access and five, yes five residential Lots owned by Council.
You said, “Collectively, ratepayers are paying approximately ten times that required of the landowners”
Well that’s simply not true. That implies the works will cost more than $3 million, the final cost is likely to be a third of that.
Council first resolved to build but failed to carry out these works in 1976; when their estimated cost was only $6200.
After public consultation via the Coastline Management Committee, Council again resolved to build interim rock walls in March 2000. Despite emphatic expert engineering advice against geobags use, Council was forced by the State to use geo-bags or lose State $$$$ co-funding.
The significant waste on repairs and rebuilding the geo-bags is history, a bill which rightly should be picked up by the State.
Equity?
Council recently spent many millions on land slip repairs in the upper Wilsons Creek area. I guess using your logic all ratepayers should expect some equity in the few homes for which these works provide access? I don’t think so.
Belongil residents each year pay many millions in Council rates and State land taxes which come back as Council grants. As an example, just one resident was paying over $140,000 per annum.
As our roads attest, we don’t expect much or receive much for these significant contributions.
John Vaughan Byron Bay
Nice one Roy & Rachel. What about public amenity Belongil Rock Wall Beach Parties… ?
No need to worry about installing any public toilets – there’s a few “open houses” just nearby.
Ha! :))
The Wilson’s Creek situation is not comparable because the people of Wilson’s creek weren’t told before they bought their houses that the road – a public road – was likely to collapse, presumably because nobody knew. Similarly Lighthouse Rd was not an expected event and its repair is in the interests of more than a handful of people, considering it is the only way to get to the Cape by road. If people are told NOT to build on an already significantly eroding coastal spit — unless they are prepared to surrender it if there is a major event — and they still go ahead and build there then they must accept the consequences. Should they be allowed to build rock walls to defend it and cause the beach to lose sand when the beach is a public asset? The answer is clearly NO.