When did Byron Bay become the fiefdom of former Green Councillor turned ‘independent’ Cr Rose Wanchap?
When did we think it a good idea that personal development crusades by the local real estate agent and developers was a sensible way to plan for the inevitable growth of this iconic town?
Settle down Rose, you’ve proven yourself unfit for the responsibility of civic leadership and now, shameless, you crusade for this pet project or that. Be it multi-lane highways into town, multi-level carparks on the foreshore precinct or swinging your unbridled support behind West Byron.
For a former Green you are behaving more like a Shooters and Fishers Party representative.
Byron Bay is the great place and tourist mecca it is for all the other reasons not represented and championed by Cr Wanchap and her new besties Hunter, Woods, Ibrahim and Cubis. I for one expected much better from them, if not from her.
This ‘turncoat councillor’ needs to read the sign coming into town. It’s time to Cheer Up, Slow Down and Chill Out. Cr Wanchap et al need to get behind the community and support the long term planning process being facilitated by McGregor Cox – so that we can have a well researched, community supported long term plan to guide and inform the community, its councillors and council staff with regard to the towns’ inevitable development.
Half-baked planning proposals driven by councillors with vested interests and limited qualifications or expertise in this area will leave the community shortchanged, and clearly reveal the proponents’ lack of understanding of what the job of a local councillor is actually all about.
Mike Chaseling, Byron Bay
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
