I would like to sincerely thank the nearly 6,000 people in our community who signed the ‘Byron Deserves Balance’ petition (online and offline) to support the 90-day cap on holiday letting in the residential areas of Byron Shire. 91.66 per cent of people who signed were local and 8.34 per cent were from other parts of NSW and other states. We had 67 people (from offline signatures) who were of no fixed address (homeless), as well as many people who had been forced to move on numerous times owing to lack of permanent rentals.
We need to get some balance back into our region, where the community can regain their power, where there aren’t streets with empty houses half the year, while the homeless – and much-needed workers – have nowhere to go. Our community and economy cannot be sustained without addressing this crisis. It is actually communities that keep places alive – those who live, work, create, volunteer, and contribute to our social capital. Regulation must be put in place so that this does not continue to happen – or, more distressingly, get even worse.
Byron has the opportunity to set a crucial precedent here. I have sent a submission to the IPC (Independent Planning Commission) and we hope they provide the NSW government with some positive recommendations to address the housing crisis here in the Shire. Then… we await the recommendations from whichever party wins the next election! Let’s hope it will address the community’s needs, rather than supporting the investor lobby group!
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. 
