The entire Roundhouse site, as originally planned, and the two adjoining parcels, should be purchased outright from Byron Shire Council and the golf club for community use. Then the site could be used to community benefit and Council and the golf club would not be financially challenged.
Keep in mind, the original plan going back many years was for an arts space/gallery there.
The need for a strong year round space to steadily showcase and rent and sell local art is getting a great deal more critical now.
Why have so many train in the arts here, and then force them all to move away or show work out of the area only?
We have so many great creative people here, and no public space where local artists can show their work reliably year around. Commercial galleries are very small, and do not do this. Also, the Tweed facility is basically an education /workshop format that only occasionally shows a bit of local arts.
The children here, along with more developed artists, need this space to continue living and working here… a vision seen long ago and now ignored.
It’s time to talk with Richard Branson and other interested finance people to both get this site up for community use as first planned, and to get both current short sighted Council and the golf club off the financial hook and out of the way for the betterment of everyone. Set some fair prices and let’s get cracking for our community, please.
Secret meetings at Council won’t do it, neither will residential lots, as there are better lots at better prices unsold already, and Council will get eaten alive by ratepayers for another loss with no site income and loans to cover.
A plan has already been made that is self supporting instead, for community use. It’s stupid to ignore these facts and make a huge risk to increase Council debt –something Council is very good at, unfortunately.
Jerry Cook, Billinudgel
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