Morgan Knoesen, Brunswick Heads
Why you need to get angry about the Byron bypass!
1. Bulldozing 1.5 hectares of protected wetland and koala habitat.
2. Limited or no community consultation. It will disrupt thousands of local residents.
3. $450,000 of ratepayers money used by Council to fight Byron ratepayers opposing the project. $30,000 used to claim legal expenses from opposition groups.
4. Significant money already spent on design, planning and time.
5. In 2014, Nationals MP for Ballina, Don Page allocated $10.5million to the project. Don Page was also involved in establishing the Northern Rivers Rail Trail on the rail corridor in preference to the Byron bypass, resulting in the destruction needed for the bypass.
6. In 2018 $9 million was allocated as part of the Nationals’ election campaign for Ben Franklin.
7. Estimates that the true cost of the bypass will be $40 million, including more than the $5 million contributed by BSC.
8. In 2018, BSC passed a motion to act in ‘climate emergency’. Council should allocate funds and energy toward protecting the community and ecological assets rather than the bypass.
9. On 18 April two councillors opposed the project, Cr Cate Coorey and Cr Basil Cameron.
Will this be a $25–40 million pothole in five years? Stop the Byron bypass!
