The Australian: All roads lead to Byron Bay with new house and land-packages
It would be good if this journalist asked a few questions of locals rather than what looks like rewriting the media release from the developer.
Her article claims that the development is possible “because the state government is allowing the rezoning of sites after a virtual lockout by the Greens-dominated local council for many years“. THE FACTS: The development moratorium was put in place in 1997 when there was only 1 Green on council ( Richard Staples) the rest were independents.
It came about after legal advice was presented to council that it was approving development and contributing to the pollution of the waterways due to the failings of the infrastructure (STP) to have the available capacity for already approved development and could not therefore allow further development to be approved. It was in breach of the Protection of the Environment Act in relation to the pollution. Nothing to do with a Greens lock-out. Lies and lazy journalism. NB We already corrected this journalist in June last year when she made the same point. Murdoch camp journalism: Greens = bad.
As a property writer Ms Allen should do her homework and she would know that the state government isn’t “allowing rezoning” – it is forcing rezoning upon us and she should also know that Byron Shire Council has been approving development at such a rate that we are already at our 2020 target figure under the Far North Coast Regional Strategy.
Sloppy uncritical journalism.
Byron Residents' Group 