I am writing in support of the letter ‘Compliance’ by Sharon Kelly (21 June) in regard to the compliance system operated by Byron Council.
Recently a townhouse was constructed on the boundary of my property for which the DA specified the house colouring to be anything but white. When constructed, the house was painted white, and because of the proximity to my boundary it causes glare to my adjacent deck.
When I pointed out that the colour was not as specified in the DA to the private certifier, he said he was not aware of this requirement but undertook to look at it.
The result was that, presumably, he asked the owner to submit a DA variation to approve the white exterior, and I understand that this was approved as the house has remained white and the glare to my property continues.
No one from the Council Compliance Department contacted me to discuss this matter or to assess the impact on my property.
Why does Byron Council have a DA process with specific requirements that can so easily be amended without consultation with neighbours who are affected by the decision? Why do we have DA processes that can be so easily amended to the detriment of neighbours? Is this private certification at its best? I would agree with Sharon Kelly that the private certification process seems to take precedence over Council’s own compliance regulations which seem to be easily amended to suit developers.
