21 C
Byron Shire
March 27, 2024

Councillor’s complaining neighbours not a ‘whingeing minority’

Latest News

Breakfeast, Bluesfest weekend

Victoria Cosford Oh to be a cow with a four-chambered stomach system! Farmers’ market, Bluesfest long weekend, a spot of...

Other News

Bay FM community radio celebrates digital upgrade

Volunteers from Byron and across the Northern Rivers celebrated nearly $100,000 worth of new studio equipment at Bay FM Community Radio station on the weekend.

NORPA’s wild ride at Lismore Showgrounds

NORPA is taking audiences on an adventure outside the theatre once again, announcing it will stage its original work Wildskin in a warehouse space at the Lismore Showgrounds. A sensory, destination theatre experience, Wildskin inhabits an outrageous and unpredictable world that’s part bush-thriller, part road-trip and a whole lot of NORPA’s signature theatrical style.

Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival

Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival returns to Byron Bay in May, and this year ‘locals favourite’ pub...

Richmond Valley Rail Trail grand opening

The latest leg of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail opened in style on Saturday, with hundreds of two-wheeled travel enthusiasts spinning along the newly opened 13.4 kilometre section from Casino to Bentley.

The power of the people is much stronger than the people in power

‘I feel so powerless,’ a friend said. It’s an understandable sentiment in the face of tragic situations out of our individual control, but there are things people can do to effect change, especially when we come together as a community. 

From Tyagarah, with love 

Dear prude, won’t you come out to play? Dear prude, greet the brand new day The sun is up, the sky...

Without wishing to get drawn into tit-for-tat correspondence with Cr Hunter, his letter in the recent edition of the Echo does raise some interesting issues:

  1. I refer to the report presented by Mr Ray Darney to the recent council meeting at which the councillors overwhelmingly decided not to extend the trading hours for his mini-storage business to allow access by his tenants on weekends and public holidays. This report included data on vehicle movements over a two-week period in November last year, in an effort to demonstrate the small number of vehicles accessing the facility on a day to day, week-day only, basis. On the face of it this appeared to be the case – the traffic generated was quite modest – but the numbers  noted by the local residents living in the two homes overlooking the access road (aka the narrow winding country lane) suggested otherwise. It is clear from their  observations that there were significant movements of vehicles during this period which were not reported in the ‘survey’ – for the simple reason that they were vehicles visiting, not the approved  operation but the additional container storage facility which the Hunters have been operating, without a DA and for which the application has now gone  on display in the Council Chambers this week. I suppose it’s hardly surprising, when you think about it, that these additional traffic movements wouldn’t be recorded in this ‘survey’ as they were being generated by an operation which  had been brought to the attention  of council’s compliance staff but which, at that point in time, wasn’t supposed to be going on !!
  2. There also seems to be a fundamental inconsistency in the remarks made by Cr.Hunter about the concerns of the ‘long suffering neighbours’ about his activities. On the one hand he seeks to dismiss me as some sort of ‘weekend visitor’ whereas I have, in fact, well established credentials, having lived and worked in the Byron Shire since the 1970s, having owned and operated numerous businesses and  having paid rates on a number of properties over the years. He further seeks to diminish the concerns of several of the owners of adjacent properties as  ‘persistent hostility from three to four neighbours’ whereas, the meetings these residents have held in recent years to discuss these issues have been well attended – on occasions by all the homeowners in the street and sometimes by residents of Tyagarah Road as well. There seems to be, in this attitude, a reflection of a concerning national agenda by large corporations, engaged in environmentally sensitive activities, to limit the right of objection to their operations to only those whose properties are most immediately affected (in this case almost all of the seven houses to which he refers) and then seek to disparage those people by characterising them as some sort of whingeing minority group.

Graham Mathews, Myocum

 


Support The Echo

Keeping the community together and the community voice loud and clear is what The Echo is about. More than ever we need your help to keep this voice alive and thriving in the community.

Like all businesses we are struggling to keep food on the table of all our local and hard working journalists, artists, sales, delivery and drudges who keep the news coming out to you both in the newspaper and online. If you can spare a few dollars a week – or maybe more – we would appreciate all the support you are able to give to keep the voice of independent, local journalism alive.

3 COMMENTS

  1. What is Byron Shire Council compliance doing about prosecuting Cr Hunter’s illegal storage facility? The Land and Environment Court issued an order for him to stop the illegal business in a rural area and remove the shipping containers. He has not complied. Appears to be laws for other people to obey but his attitude is that he is is an exception and above the law.

    His latest DA application shows 2 photos of his so called “sheds” that he wants to have approved as a storage facility. There are 3 “sheds” each containing 6 shipping containers that a NSW Court instructed him to remove. If you looked inside they contain the goods of his clients.

    His DA will be rejected by Council and compliance should take maximum action against him. He is one of many who thumb their noses at the law. No wonder Byron Shire has so many compliance problems when compared with other Northern Rivers shires.

    • I am aware that Byron Council’s Compliance and Rangers are overwhelmed with the number of complaints about problems in the shire that they receive. They do their best to resolve these but are understaffed.

      When the holiday letting policy is introduced then the number of complaints will multiply. The General manager will have to increase compliance numbers to effectively deal with all problems.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Hiatus Beers

Launched to market in July 2022, Hiatus Beers is all about brewing crisp, refreshing, full-flavoured, non-alcoholic beer.  The founders (Jules Ryan, Nic Sandery and...

Superbowls

Superbowls is your go-to spot for a burst of woodfired flavour! Nestled in Byron Arts and Industry Estate, the cosy haven serves up delectable...

Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival

Caper Byron Bay Food & Culture Festival returns to Byron Bay in May, and this year ‘locals favourite’ pub North Byron Hotel will be...

Records galore!

Byron Bay Easter Record Fair returns again to Ewingsdale Hall. Now in its 15th year, the Byron Bay Easter Record Fair is one of the biggest and best in this country. Matt the Vinyl Junkie has spent years on buying trips to the US and Japan scouring dusty warehouses, shops, flea markets and private collections. He can offer an astounding 30,000 records in one place covering most genres.