Cr Basil Cameron, Goonengerry
Erosion of public interest and the community values that underpin the building height standard were neatly captured by Neil Matterson (Letters, 10 June). The standard is a reflection of community values and the single most important planning tool to ensure the character of our towns are maintained.
A core community value is a coastline undiminished by buildings rising above the dunes. Just as important is the value of a wild coastline and the economic benefits derived from the many visitors who share our love of an untrammelled coast.
Is there a strong enough public interest test embedded in our planning documents that reflects these community values? It is not looking good. Heights have been creeping up incrementally for many years as developers have sought variation after variation based on the LEP clause. Similarly our planning documents have been interpreted by the Land and Environment Court and resulted in taller buildings.
Council has exhibited a draft Development Control Plan (DCP) that proposes raising building heights in Byron Bay. When a development proposal for the southern end of Jonson Street sought a significant height variation based on the draft DCP, councillors in support of the DCP were confronted with overwhelming community opposition. The draft was immediately amended for Jonson Street south. However, it still exists, and it proposes an increase in other parts of town – including Bay Lane, less than one block from the Byron beachfront.
We have been here before, and the proposition has always been whether we acknowledge strong community support for appropriate development and a long-term sustainable future, or not. The alternative is go for a quick buck that undermines our economic and cultural resilience.
Will councillors show an increased resolve and give greater weight to the public interest, or will councillors fall captive to the idea of an inevitable erosion of community standards?
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. 
