Matt Hartley, Byron Bay
There has been a lot of talk about ‘The Greens’ political party bringing the Gold Coast into Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, and Mullumbimby. The takeover of the creekfront of Belongil Estuary and transition of that waterway into a Gold Coast canal began last year and looks set to continue.
DA 10.2020.489.1 for 12 Giaour Street, Belongil seeks to follow on from the approved development at 6 Giaour Street, eliminating all vegetation and building a glass-and-steel box virtually down to the waterfront, with a pool placed one fat fart from the water itself.
This wasn’t supposed to happen under The Greens. But then again, it was The Greens who voted to get rid of backyards and turn them into holiday units for multinational property managers. It was The Greens who turned green laneways into asphalt.
The Greens mayor did a deal, allowing a property developer to exceed floor area and height limits on Jonson Street. A previous Greens mayor did a deal with the same property developer to eliminate the Belongil village centre and replace five shops, a cinema, restaurants, nursery, village green, parking, an art gallery, offices, and restaurant, plus film studio facilities and a yoga studio, with a housing estate. So much for ‘walkable neighbourhoods’.
The Greens allowed 6 Giaour Street to be turned into a monster, exceeding limits, and they’ll probably do it at 12 Giaour Street too.
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. 
