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Byron Shire
March 29, 2024

Byron’s pro-development faction takes control

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Cr Sol Ibrahim appears to be showing leadership over the now unpopular pro-development National Party aligned faction on council, aided andf abetted by Greens defector Rose Wanchap.
Cr Sol Ibrahim appears to be leading the pro-development charge on council, joined by the National Party-aligned faction and aided and abetted by Greens defector Rose Wanchap.

Hans Lovejoy

It was a day for right wing conservatives to celebrate as environmental protections were stalled, residents’ requests denied and developments steamed ahead at last Thursday’s Council meeting.

While the conservative voting pattern had been established for some time, the unified voice of the National Party-aligned bloc of Di Woods, Chris Cubis and Alan Hunter, aided by Crs Sol Ibrahim and (Greens defector) Rose Wanchap was indisputable at the last meeting.

It seems this faction has now well and truly swung behind developers, ignoring residents’ concerns and delaying koala protection.

Mayor Simon Richardson, Crs Basil Cameron, Duncan Dey and Paul Spooner are the minor progressives who make up the nine councillors.

But it was progressive councillors who won a slim ruling majority at the last (2012) local government election. At the time that included Cr Rose Wanchap, endorsed by the Greens and elected with a bulk Green vote.

It’s clear now however that she does not represent the interests of those residents who voted for her.

Cr Wanchap abandoned the Greens party’s platform shortly after being elected, and her pro-development intentions were highlighted after supporting the highly contentious West Byron proposal and subsequent resignation from the party in May.

Calls by the public for the real estate agent to resign have so far been unsuccessful.

While she holds the balance of power, from last Thursday’s meeting it was Cr Sol Ibrahim that appears to lead the pack.

Cr Ibrahim in his election campaign at the last election told voters he was ‘independent’, but has shown his true colours and sided with the conservatives on most of the contentious issues.

Cr Ibrahim’s team was successful in voting down a rail/pathway trail multi-use compromise and voted instead for Council to write to local MP Don Page advising him that ‘Council fully supports the Northern Rivers Rail Trail project.’

But Cr Ibrahim’s motion was blasted as disingenuous by almost the entire gallery and some councillors; the issue was far from ‘fully supported’ with a five-to-four vote.

Meanwhile, earlier plans passed by Cr Ibrahim’s team to push ahead with rock walls along Belongil appear to be in limbo, with the announcement that funding has been withdrawn from the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH).

Correspondence from OEH to Council raised concerns about the scale of the proposed interim works, ‘which will have significant impact on the amenity of the already compromised beach area and associated public access.’

OEH urged Council to instead finalise its coastal zone management plan (CZMP) ‘as a matter of priority.’

Councillors voted to seek clarity from NSW minister of the environment, Rob Stokes, as to whether he ‘concurs with the position of the OEH.’

Council’s director of infrastructure services, Phil Holloway, released a statement saying, ‘Considerable time, energy and money has gone into the development of the Belongil interim beach access works.’

Ibrahim’s koala move

Cr Ibrahim gained the support of Crs Woods, Cubis, Hunter and Wanchap for an amendment that will delay protection measures for the shire’s koalas, which are listed as a vulnerable species by the federal government.

Spooked by legal implications and led by staff recommendations, Cr Ibrahim quizzed Lorraine Vass from Friends of the Koala earlier on Thursday morning, who pleaded ‘to get on with it’.

He asked, ‘if this report was legally challenged, would you wish that [this review] was done before adopting the plan?

Ms Vass replied that ‘I don’t have good reason to believe that. The department of planning is looking over our shoulder every inch of the way – we are being monitored every step of the way.’

Ms Vass went on to say she was ‘flummoxed at the delay’ and that there was opportunity for all councillors to be involved in the process.

‘The only councillor who turned up was Cr Dey; no one else RSVPd,’ she said.

She added that ‘by 2035, if nothing changes, then they will be gone.’

Residents ignored

Meanwhile, the same faction ignored Ewingsdale residents’ pleas and pushed ahead with an unpopular and contentious seniors housing/medial development proposal.

Despite an attempt by Cr Cameron to defer a decision on the large-scale proposal surrounding the earmarked Byron Central Hospital, Crs Ibrahim, Cubis, Woods, Wanchap and Hunter were successful in pushing the development towards the DA stage.

Calls by the Ewingsdale Community Association for a Growth Management Strategy and more time for public exhibition were ignored by the now openly right-wing faction, which holds the balance of power.

But the size of the development was knocked back somewhat; commercial use will now be a combined maximum total floor area of 1,200 square metres, while the medical centre would be limited to a maximum total floor area of 1,800 square metres.

Additionally a Development Control Plan (DCP) for the 15-hectare lot will be prepared by the applicant to address buffer areas, transport networks and ‘height restrictions on the subject site [will] be generally restricted to two levels and not on residential boundaries.’

A ‘Demand Model’ traffic study will also be prepared ‘in accordance with the requirements detailed in the response from the RMS.’

During morning public access, Belbeck Investments director Leigh Belbeck (the proponent) addressed council and defended his company’s consultation with residents, claiming over 200 letters were sent along with information sessions.

Cr Spooner asked if she would consider agreeing to the residents’ request for a local growth management policy, to which Mrs Belbeck replied, ‘Why delay it for an indefinite period? We are working outside the local growth management strategy [owing to it being a state government development]… and initial discussions with NSW Health, they see the benefits.’

Later the Ewingsdale Community Association’s Lorissa Barrett said, ‘This large-scale development will see the gateway to Byron Bay changed irreparably and double the population of our village’.

‘The Ewingsdale community has welcomed the hospital development, Figtree Fields and The Farm in recent years, we are not anti-development, we are pro-appropriate development,’ Ms Barrett said.

‘We are unanimous in our belief that this is not appropriate. The current owners made it clear they would be on-selling the site to another developer.

‘If council allows a change to the current permitted use for this site, these developers would ultimately get whatever they want, and the current zoning is meaningless. We are surrounded by large amounts of rural land which could potentially become high density living.’

Belbeck Investments also sent a completely different public relations (PR) message to media outlets that day, spruiking the potential benefits.

Objectors were not mentioned however, which according to Council’s public submissions, number 60, with only two in favour.

It read in part, ‘We’ve been buoyed by recent community engagement given the strong positive feedback from an overwhelming majority of locals’.


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11 COMMENTS

  1. A Greens real estate agent ? A stack of pro development councillors who got in under the radar and are now showing their true colours . What were the people of Byron Shire thinking ? All this happened in Tweed Shire with the end result being the sacking of the Council after the Daily enquiry . Not that that made any difference after clear evidence that six Coucillors were funded and controlled by developers . No one was charged , no one was prosecuted , the developer got an apology for slurring his good name despite hard evidence of indisputable corruption and two one of which was Mayor at the time currently are still on the council .
    Trouble is it goes all the way to the Top and any proper investigation will eventually lead to the Premier’s and Ministers offices hence it ends up going nowhere . Our Political system is clearly corrupted and seriously flawed the end result of which is the tax payer being ripped off for Billions . Anyone been following the I.C.A.C. investigations ?
    Those Politically dumb stupid Coucillors who through their own selfish greed ( thinking they are going to do well out of it ) who have allowed themselves to be used by Developers . They will get voted out , the Developers will make Millions and a large chunk of what attracts Millions of tourists to Byron from around the world will be lost forever .

  2. Councillors voted to seek clarity from NSW minister of the environment, Rob Stokes, as to whether he ‘concurs with the position of the OEH.’

    Just for accuracy’s sake, I moved an amendment to get councillors to agree to cease all actions on Belongil, to seek clarity from NSW minister of the environment, Rob Stokes, as to whether he ‘concurs with the position of the OEH and to get a report on the cost ramifications of losing funding. This was defeated by the belongil wall 5.
    The actual successful motion simply gave the GM delegated authority to avoid calling for tenders to do the works.

  3. Wanchap has to go. Do we need a rally to pressure her to go? I think so. Her actions have changed the course of this shire against the wishes of the voters. How can she live with herself? Rose, go back to your focus on real-estate – you have betrayed the electorate.

  4. Cr Ibrahim did not “vote down” a multi use compromise on the railway line. See item 5 below.

    5. In the preparation of the concept plan and design for the rail trail considerations of multiple uses such as that already approved for the North Beach development be incorporated

  5. We were at the meeting and unfortunately there was little discussion re the potential demolition of the railway with no questions asked by Crs and some not in the chamber when the TOOT presentation was made. No mention was made of the numerous private operator proposals for light rail on at least some of the track which could co-exist with the rail trail on the rail reserve. Are the Crs aware of options? It seemed that most of them weren’t even interested in the subject and the ramifications of accepting Don Page’s parting gift of $75M to his electorate to be used to rip up the track, thus closing the door on rail being available in the region in the future.
    How short sighted……………….

  6. I was present at this council meeting, and remain thrown off balance by what Hans Lovejoy correctly refers to as Cr Sol Ibrahim “leading the pro-development charge on council.” His manner of behaviour and voting showed a blatant disregard or concern for the environment, koala habitats and corridors, thus species survival and most alarmingly for the well being and due rights of residents and fair public consultation. Cr Ibrahim’s reasoning and remarks were selfish, distasteful and personal, in particular, his misuse of the good name of a well loved and much missed Byron Bay local, elder and community figure who sadly died recently, was unfair and requires a public apology. His repetitious use of the term “what I want is…” followed by “what my children want is…” was woefully pitiful. After the first five references to what he wanted I lost count and realised the current madness of our stacked council toward unstainable development is akin to a Shakespearian tragic comedy. I was reduced to tears to see how representation and responsibility for the shire and its inhabitants, our homes and hearths was handled so unprofessionally, and am dismayed with the circus that is supposed be our modern, duly elected 21st century local council. My question to those councillors as named in the article is what’s in it for them, is it simply uneducated ignorance, ego driven arrogances, mean spiritedness or are personal motivations to form such an inhumane allegiance more financial in sum form?

  7. I suppose we should have left the train corridor to keep growing weeds and trees for the next 20 years. Native and endangered flora and fauna are moving into the corridor now ,who will protest about cutting these trees down and moving the wildlife when the train is reinstated.
    If you want trains then let the developers in to build subdivisions that can then sustain a train system.
    Think about ramifications of actions before asking for trains to return,once started there is no turning back the flood of houses that will be built along the corridor ,just look at the Robina to Brisbane train corridor .

  8. Sol Ibrahim and Rose Wanchap appear to be the only Councillors prepared to approach each issue in any sort of rational, clear and well thought out way.
    Simon Richardson and Duncan Dey are too influenced by Tom Tabarts extreme-left-disguised-as-green views. Simon, Duncan, Basil Cameron, Paul Spooner and Di Woods are all influenced by their overarching desire to be liked and admired by the “Community”, and their need to appear to be some sort of community heroes.
    Sol and Rose are the only ones worth having out of the lot.

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