Greens Member for Ballina Tamara Smith announced today that she had won an assurance from the NSW government that the Mullumbimby community will be consulted on any proposed sale of public land along the rail corridor that runs through the town. the strip of land is situated on the other side of the rail line from Woolworths.
‘I made representations to the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure on behalf of the community and the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce about proposed sell offs of public land in Mullumbimby and Byron Shire,’ said Ms Smith.
‘The community should come first and have a voice when deciding the future of publicly owned lands. Land at Mullumbimby has been identified as surplus to transport business requirements.
‘I will be holding the Minister to his commitment to consult with Byron Shire Council on any future plans to sell public land in Byron Shire. I have been informed that surplus land for disposal will be submitted to Property NSW for approval, and that as part of this process, Property NSW will liaise with Byron Shire Council under its community use policy.
‘I thank the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce for their efforts to bring attention to the future of this land and I welcome the NSW government’s commitment to community use,’ said Ms Smith.
The headline refers to “Community consultation on Mullumbimby rail corridor land”. However Ms Smith refers to ” .. any proposed sale of public land along the rail corridor that runs through the town. ” My understanding is that Ms Smith’s statement is correct – it is land along the gazetted corridor but not part of it – and so the headline is misleading. Given the controversy over the proposed rail trail it is important to ensure the language around the corridor land is accurate.
Tamara Smith is to be commended for expressing her concerns and I hope a use can be found that will provides pleasing aspect for those who arrive in Mullum be it by road or along the rail trail.
What about selling the corridor off for “tiny houses” projects or something that homeless would benefit from. Oh that’s right no $ in that!
CONSULTED ? HA. HA. YOU WILL BE TOLD WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO SELL IT. YOU HAVE AND NEVER WILL HAVE ANY SAY AS TO WHAT WILL BE DONE. GET DOWN OUTA YOUR TREES GREENIES AND COME UP WITH A PLAN TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT.