Every now and then I really agree with our Byron Shire Council’s perseverance and the direction of their fight against developers with huge monetary resources and sharp well-paid barristers. This fight is a classic example of that sentiment.
Wategos is famous for its secluded beach and surf break, rimmed with very expensive homes that are lived in during a southern hemisphere summer holiday season.
Now, we have a situation where a very local business owner with oodles of cash, defies state planning laws, which his architect must have been well aware of when approached to design this mega-mansion. It seems to me as if the developer’s advisors in these situations advise: ‘it’s probably going to be a court case with The NSW Land and Environment Court (L&EC) which has a reputation with agreeing with the defendants. We’ll just keep throwing money at it until it’s done’.
Mr Catalano’s development is disrespectful of our community. That piece of land was once owned by First Nations local people, who unfortunately sold it into white-fella hands. But it has been deemed by NSW law to be precious Coastal Wetland Littoral Forest a habitat for endangered species of plants and animals therefore not to be brutally dug into and refashioned.
How dare developers do this! We are already seeing monstrous redevelopment in our town’s centre striving to capture the allusive tourist dollar. This is something different and I find it very alarming that such monetary influence could be allowed to prevail and destroy our fast-diminishing character and quality of Byron life. Here we need to support our Council in its fight to stop it, on March 3 the battle will rage.
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. 
