Staff reporters
For those looking for clues as to how Byron Council plans to balance its budget, a ‘confidential’ staff report on subdividing the Ocean Shores Roundhouse site will debated at the upcoming April 18 Council meeting.
It’s anticipated that the sale of the subdivided land could provide much needed cash to Council’s dwindling coffers, estimated to be short about $10m in this year’s budget.
But community groups the Roundhouse Action Group (RAG) and Ocean Shores Community Association (OSCA) have called on the new councillors to ‘keep their word made at the Ocean Shores Community Centre prior to the Council election and not subdivide the Roundhouse site’.
The Council owned property, which sits prominently overlooking the beach and golf club, has a long history; late last year the Roundhouse Action Group (RAG) presented what it claimed was a revenue positive business model.
It advocated a public cultural building, incorporating a gallery, museum, theatre, cinema, restaurant and archival space. ‘This can be done as a long term project without putting an economic burden on the Council,’ Jan Mangleson from RAG said.
Staff recommendations remain confidential; however, the summary from the agenda says that in April 2012 Council advised the Ocean Shores Country Club (OSCC) that it would not proceed with the joint 13 lot Roundhouse site development and instead brokered a new agreement with the club for easements ‘associated with Council progressing its own 11 lot Roundhouse subdivision’.
‘The purpose of this report is to advise Council that a new agreement has been finalised and to report the matter to Council prior to seeking tenders for the works associated with construction of the subdivision.’
The confidential report will be tabled on Thursday.
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