Andrew Crockett, Mullumbimby
‘Lot 22’ is a large development (150 houses) that is being pushed along by Council, with no consultation of ratepayers. The 22-hectare site is at the end of Stuart Street, adjacent to the community gardens, and is destined to be a new residential precinct.
The biggest advocate for the development is our mayor, Mr Simon Richardson who wants to usher in a sort of ‘eco/affordable housing village’ on the flood prone land.
The land, which flooded badly last March, was bought by Byron Shire Council (2002) to be used as ‘Community Land’, but Council has decided it would be a great site for 150 houses and they have pushed for a re-zoning with the NSW government.
A correct and respectful course of action by Council would be to put this proposal to the public, then seek re-zoning. Previous councils would have looked at a proposal like this and simply said ‘Mate, it is on a floodplain, forget about it.’
Council’s proposal states they will build up the land with fill. However, it is a floodplain that currently absorbs the water into the ground during a major flood episode, like we had last year, just like a floodplain should.
If that floodplain becomes concrete, roads and houses, where will the water go? You guessed it: into the little creek (Saltwater Creek) by the community gardens and back into town.
If Council gets this proposal through we can all expect the insurance companies to jack up their premiums for flood cover, so existing homeowners will be hit even further. We can also expect five years of construction, heavy trucks and machinery all day and night destroying our already pathetic roads.
We have started a campaign to try to stop this and are calling for people who were affected by the flood last year to submit their photos and stories to email [email protected] and join our Facebook sayno2lot22.
We are looking for affordable housing ideas that don’t make our township even more of a flood risk.
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. 
