The Main Arm Residents Association (MARA) has expressed its dismay at a decision by Council to approve the controversial ReGenesis development in the village.

After several false starts and the loss of motions to curtail the development, Council finally resolved to accept the plan for a subdivision to create 12 residential lots, one commercial lot, one open space lot and a community title subdivision creating 13 rural residential lots and one community lot. The motion was carried 6-3, Cs Tucker, Woods, Heeson, Barham, Richardson and Tabart in favour and Crs Staples, Cameron and Morrisey against.

In a press release after the vote MARA said that Main Arm residents were shocked and dismayed when approval given to the large scale developments ‘will surround and dwarf the tiny 12 home hamlet. Council and its planning department is hell bent on imposing this kind of suburban development all over the hinterland of our shire.

‘MARA will be considering every option open to us to prevent these inappropriate developments from happening. If Council think this is the end for MARA, they are wrong. We will not be going away.’

During public access last Thursday MARA spokesperson Peter Leishman told councillors, ‘There is probably only one thing which the Main Arm Community and the developers can agree on at this point. That is we have all been put through an unnecessarily long, arduous, expensive and ultimately deeply unsatisfactory process over the proposed development of ReGenesis.’

Mr Leishman went on to outline what the group saw as major faults in the plan and the processes involved in the acceptance of the plan including what he said was a Development Control Plan that is 21 years out date.

MARA feels that since  Council received more than 600 submissions objecting to the two proposals (ReGenesis and Davis DAs) with fewer than 50 in favour, it can confidently state that it represents the views and aspirations of the Main Arm community.

‘We deplore the negligence of Council in dismissing the legitimate concerns of the community. Given the lack of meaningful community consultation, the people of Main Arm feel rightly aggrieved by the current proposals to allow for 46 houses and a shopping plaza, all with individual on-site systems. The processes that Council has committed itself to are in a shambles.’

Mr Leishman said that the Main Arm community is not opposed to development that can be realistically sustained by the environment and the community and conforms to Byron Rural Settlement Strategy guidelines.
 ‘This could be done without unduly punishing the developers.’