W Boyle, Main Arm.
Why is the Council so relentlessly pursuing the oppressive E3 zonings in Main Arm?
Over the past forty years we have reafforested this valley without Council’s assistance. So why lock up our land under these poorly conceived laws?
Whose idea was this? We certainly didn’t vote for it. To protect regrowth forest by removing our right to freely manage it is plain dangerous.
Our roads and bridges are in a pitiful condition, and the fire trails on the northern side of the valley have not been maintained for decades – so when there is a major fire the fire brigades won’t be able to protect us – while Council is spending significant money on implementing these poorly conceived laws.
If you’re going to forcefully create a massive firetrap – make sure we are safe! This appears to be a politically oppressive exercise to justify the existence of even more bureaucrats. Basically very poor science. Leave us alone, Council – or fix the infrastructure first. When lives and homes are lost, the blood will be on Council’s hands.
I think that the majority of byron shire residents affected by the proposed e-zones are in agreeance with W.Boyle of Main Arm: the e-zone laws – and make no mistake, they will be LAWS – are poorly conceived and incredibly oppressive.
Assurances that current use of the land can continue is of little comfort to someone who has been planning a change of use, which, should the e-zoning be forced on these landowners, will be thus disallowed. Similarly, land for sale in an e zone will attract a much smaller range of enquiries as most of the farmers I have spoken to are rightly wary of e zones, and certainly would not consider purchasing one.
As W. Boyle said, landowners have been responsibly managing their land for decades, and I for one resent having this onerous zoning, with all its implications for future use, forced upon us. I have yet to speak to one local who is happy about this proposed zoning.
A council representative recently said to me that there are plenty of people who welcome their property being zoned as e2 or e3. If this is the case then the council should follow in the footsteps of kyogle and lismore councils and make the e zoning entirely voluntary, and leave the rest of us with the rural zoning that amply served us so far.