Only in the Northern Rivers can a life be celebrated so joyously in an obituary

 

The image of Hannah Grace which on her instruction heads this "The Echo" news online obituary.

The 26 July 2024 Farewell to Hannah Grace begins:

"Sometime before she passed away last month, Hannah Grace wrote the following note to The Echo:

‘Dear Echo people, I want this picture to go across two columns of the dead people section. Thanks a lot for everything. Cheers, Hannah xx’. ‘

Ps: This photo’s the last chance I’ve got to show off! Xxxx’

Accompanying the note was the beautifully irreverent and unashamedly racy photo, pictured.

The request, one of Hannah’s last on this planet, encapsulates some of the qualities that made her such a loved and member of the Byron community since her arrival in the Shire nearly 50 years ago."

Read on at

https://www.echo.net.au/2024/07/farewell-hannah-grace/

Very little of what has been built in in the NSW North Rivers coastal zone appears to have a long habitable lifespan - so it's buyer beware

 

What is fascinating about this development application set out in the following article is that the Byron Bay local government area coastal zone generally, including Clifford Street, Suffolk Park, is expected to be impacted by ongoing storm surges, tidal incursion and then permanent sea level inundation beginning sometime between 2027 to 2030 – roughly four to seven years from now. With 9-15 Clifford Street being one of the last addresses to be affected in that street.

Most of the sea level rise scenarios indicate that 9-15 Clifford Street as a habitable dwelling space may only have a life of around 37 to 47 years if Australian east coast and global air and sea temperatures keep rising as steeply as they have in the last 40 years.

Barely enough time to pay off the mortgage before the unit/apartment becomes worthless.

The Echo, 7 June 2023:

The company behind a controversial mixed-use development in the heart of Suffolk Park has quietly submitted revised plans for the proposal as part of the ongoing court battle over the matter.

Sydney-based developer, Denwol Pty Ltd, took Byron Council to the Land & Environment Court after it refused their plans to build two new three-storey buildings, containing 16 units, seven town houses and 300m2 of commercial space at 9–15 Clifford Street.

Council had set out 17 separate reasons for refusing the development application when it was originally submitted last year, including factors related to the environmental impacts, design, bushfire risk and affordable housing claims.

With the formal court hearing getting underway last week, Denwol made an application to the court to submit amended plans for the project.

This followed an amended DA that was submitted in April which involved a significant reduction in the size of the development.

Published on Council’s website, these amended plans involve reducing in the number of residential apartments from 16 to seven, and the number of town houses from seven to six. There would be two retail tenancies.

Both buildings are reduced to two-storeys in the amended plans, though there is little difference in the overall height of the development.

There is also a significant increase in how far the buildings will be set back from the road, though this will require more trees to be cut down.

Resident, Lynne Richardson, said that the amended plans represented little change in practical terms because the overall footprint of the development was ‘much the same’.

Community excluded

She also said that the process by which the most recent amendment had been submitted had excluded the community.

‘I was enraged by the process,’ Ms Richardson said.

‘The only community members who were actually told were those who were due to give evidence during the hearing, and we were only given a few days’ notice to get our heads around the plans before doing that.

‘[Council’s lawyers, Marsdens] only told us a few days before we were due to give evidence, and they asked us to respect the confidentiality of the developer by not disseminating the new plans more widely. In my opinion, the newly modified plans should have been more widely circulated to the community. This affects all of them so they should have been told.’

The Echo understands that Council will continue to contest the matter in court, despite the submission of the modified plans by the developer.

BACKGROUND

Byron Shire Council - List of Applications Submitted, excerpt, retrieved 12 June 2023:

Original Development Application.

10.2022.137.1

Development Application 13/07/2022 15 Clifford St, Suffolk Park 2481 NSW

15A Clifford St, Suffolk Park 2481 NSW

9-13 Clifford St, Suffolk Park 2481 NSW

Demolition of Nine (9) Dwellings, Removal of Twenty Five (25) Native Trees and Construction of a Mixed Use Development Comprising of Two (2) Buildings including Commercial Premises and Multi Dwelling Housing being Twenty Three (23) Dwellings of which Twelve (12) will be Affordable Housing and Swimming Pools.

Details here including latest modification submitted this year.

Existing dwellings

Byron Shire Council flood mapping showing part of Clifford Street

NSW GOVERNMENT 'NORTHERN RIVERS RESILIENT LAND STRATEGY' STATE OF PLAY 2023: in its current form not worth the paper it is printed on

 

Northern Rivers Resilient Lands Strategy –Summary Report: Helping provide a safer, more sustainable and more resilient Northern Rivers, 1 June 2023:

The Northern Rivers Resilient Lands Strategy is part of the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC)’s $100 million Resilient Lands Program.

The Resilient Lands Program is part of a suite of measures the NRRC is coordinating to deliver a sustainable supply of land and housing for flood

impacted residents in high risk areas in the Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed Local Government Areas.

The Resilient Lands Program has been designed to complement, not replace, business-as-usual land release and housing development in the region. The Resilient Land Strategy identifies land that will be accelerated for delivery with funding support provided under the Program.

The Resilient Lands Program is being delivered in conjunction with the NRRC’s $700 million Resilient Homes Program that focuses on raising, retrofitting and voluntary purchase of homes impacted by the 2022 floods.

After the Acknowledgement Of Country the aforementioned four short paragraphs are the NSW Government, Dept. of Regional NSW & Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC)’s introduction to its long awaited draft resilient lands strategy.

It goes on in the Foreword to state:

The Strategy identifies 22 sites that could support

climate resilient residential development across each

of the Northern Rivers Local Government Areas. Fifteen

sites have been earmarked for immediate on-ground

investigations, to enable flood impacted residents to

move out of areas severely impacted by the 2022 floods.

The Strategy also identifies a further seven sites of

strategic significance for long-term resilience. These

sites that are identified as potentially suitable for

development in the longer term may help reduce the

need to undertake a similar region-wide land suitability

assessment should future natural disasters occur in

the Northern Rivers.

The authors of this draft document end the eight paragraph Foreword with a nausea inducing bout of self-congratulation:

The Resilient Lands Expert Panel, who has assisted in

the preparation of the document, is thankful that our

skills and professional expertise have been able to

contribute to the recovery initiative but humbled by the

experience of people who lived through the flood event,

many of whom remain impacted. We hope that this

document will assist in ensuring that safe and secure

accommodation can be made available for all affected

going forward.

That last paragraph on Page 5 completed setting the tone for what is essentially a twenty-four page collection of pious wishes, vaguely-worded ‘plans’ and the carefully worded announcement of a funding feeding frenzy by land speculators and both private & corporate property developers.

Given the political influence of the development & construction industry lobbies, it is easy to suspect that ‘affordable housing’ will be taking a back seat in the NSW Minns Labor Government’s specific plans for north-east New South Wales – albeit these plans were inherited from the Berejiklian-Perrottet Coalition Government which preceded it.

At Pages 7 & 8 the draft document states:

Land identified in the Strategy was also reviewed by the Resilient Lands Expert Panel (the Panel), an independent panel of experts with backgrounds in urban planning, environmental management, community development, Indigenous knowledge and climate resilience.

The Panel’s recommendations identified 22 short, medium and long-term development sites across the seven Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ballina, Byron, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed with potential capacity for up to 10,300 dwellings.

Work has now commenced on the planning and delivery of the 15 short-term sites identified within the Strategy. This will ensure residents impacted by the 2022 floods can relocate to new housing as soon as possible.

The Strategy also identifies a further seven medium and long-term sites for broader regional planning efforts to support longer term community resilience.

What does the Resilient Lands Strategy mean for

residents impacted by the floods?

The Strategy identifies a total of 22 potential development sites across the Northern Rivers on both private and public land. Fifteen sites are for immediate investigation for flood impacted residents with capacity for approximately 7,800 dwellings. Seven further sites with capacity for approximately 2,500 dwellings have been identified as sites of strategic significance for longer term resilience…..

Why doesn’t the NRRC just acquire and develop land?

In some instances, acquisition and development of land by government will have a role to play under the Program. However, using a range of approaches that aim to remove barriers and encourage the delivery of land and housing by the development sector and government will maximise housing supply outcomes across the region.

For example, using the entire $100 million available under the Resilient Lands Program to acquire land and develop housing could be expected to deliver approximately 200–300 dwellings to the market over the next three to four years.

On the other hand, a modest, up-front investment by government to deliver important water and sewer infrastructure upgrades that are preventing the release of land can unlock significant housing supply and better support the feasibility and delivery of residential development areas.

Taking an approach that is tailored to the characteristics of each individual site will ensure the Program delivers the most housing in the right locations as possible.

Where any financial support is provided to the development sector through the Resilient Lands Program, it will be conditional on prioritising access to any new housing for flood affected residents.

I think that the Labor MLA for Lismore Janelle Saffin put it best when she told ABC News on Friday, 2 May 2023:

Ms Saffin said the corporation's communication skills left many questions unanswered.

"We are desperate for detail, our community that has been physically and psychologically battered, and this doesn't give us any more detail about when, time frames, how, who," Ms Saffin said.

"I've been a very vocal critic of the NRRC's inability to communicate and this release just highlights it even more."….

"We've all watched the series Utopia [and] the idea of comms management is not to do anything," Ms Saffin said.

While Greens MLA For Ballina Tamara Smith was quoted in The Guardian on the same day:

The MP for Ballina, Tamara Smith, called on the government to release better maps that provide more detail.

“How can we as a community make informed submissions about what will be huge new residential developments when we don’t actually know where they are?” she said.

“Our community deserves utter transparency and I am disappointed that we are not getting more information in order to make meaningful submissions to the draft.”

In another section of that article these succinct quotes also mirrored the feelings of more than a few locals:

A mayor who spoke to Guardian Australia on condition of anonymity said they believed the government was being “very optimistic” with its goals, calling the lack of detail so far provided to councils and the community “really crap”.

This is an example of mapping used in the draft document at Pages 15 to 22:

It would appear that the state government and its agencies are determined to play those land strategy cards close to their chest and at the same time minimise whatever negative media reports may emerge.

It is doing this by treating the entire Northern Rivers regional population of est. 312,747 men, women and children (.idcommunity, 2022) as so many mushrooms which need to be kept in the dark. At the same time holding a media briefing in which the Draft Resilient Lands Strategy was explained in some detail (accompanied by visual aids) and all journalists questions answered—under a total ban on dissemination of said information by said journalists.

This Northern Rivers resident’s assessment of the state of play in June 2023?

The NSW Government, Dept. of Regional NSW and Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation have provided local government and communities with:

1. no genuine time frame;

2. broad statements but no real details;

3. an incorrect assessment of some land being shovel ready for development in 2024;

4. maps so ill-defined that they are all but useless in identifying which land is to be developed;

5. no outline of the type/number/provisional costings of tenders that might be required for land preparation and supporting infrastructure or tenders which have already been approved; and

6. an unrealistic expectation that this particular Resilient Lands Strategy can deliver what has been promised to the people of the Northern Rivers region.

Cynicism burns strong in the Northern River as the March 2023 state election date draws nearer

 

Echo, 13 January 2023:

With the NSW election looming on March 25, there will no doubt soon be a government bonanza of promises to impress, you, the good-looking and articulate voter, into thinking that this or that party will govern with your interests at heart.

Politicians want to be taken seriously now? How cute!

State governments use your taxes to pay for health, education, police and roads, among many other services.

Other things they use your taxes for include throwing huge wads of cash at electorates they think they can win (called pork barrelling), or generously repaying their campaign donors.

That aside, another crucial role state governments have is with planning.

As we saw recently with the NSW planning minister’s intervention on [Byron Shire] Council’s holiday letting policy – local governments are merely a corporate arm of the state government, and will be reined in if they do not reflect the government’s views.

The views of the current NSW Liberal-Nationals government appears to deny local decision-making, renege on that promise, and undermine any chance to address the housing crisis.

And also, presumably, repay their campaign donor mates in the holiday letting industry.

The current government aren’t doing that well across the state, and with any luck there will be a much-needed change of direction after election day.

Or will NSW Labor act in the same way?

Moving on, a planning policy that is currently on the table from the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPE) is reforming the State Environmental Planning Policy (Housing) 2021, (or Housing SEPP).

The current Housing SEPP, as the peak body for local government, Local Government NSW (LGNSW), says, contains ‘blanket provisions that override local controls [and] undermine this framework for local strategic planning, by disrupting outcomes endorsed through councils’ local strategic planning processes’.

It’s widely known that affordable housing SEPPs don’t work as intended. Or as a cynic may say, they are working perfectly for the one per cent. Just not those who need affordable housing.

For example, LGNSW support affordable housing, developed under the Housing SEPP, to be in perpetuity, ‘not 15 years, as current provisions allow’.

Also, unlike the current government, LGNSW supports ‘locally-developed responses to short-term rental accommodation (STRA)’.

To have your say on the housing reforms, which are on exhibition until January 13, visit www.planning.nsw.gov.au/Policy-and-Legislation/Housing/Housing-SEPP.

Hans Lovejoy, editor

Sydney-based developer Tower Holdings begins land clearing for contentious Harvest Estate subdivision in West Byron

 

Property developer Tower Holdings P/L land in West Byron before clearing began - situated less than 2km from the beach. 

IMAGE: Google Earth

The Echo, 9 September 2022:

Land clearing has begun on one of the West Byron land parcels on Ewingsdale Road, owned by Tower Holdings.

Two Development Applications (DAs) were hard fought by the community for decades, and their approvals will see a new suburb constructed on ecologically significant land.

Environmental concerns, traffic and a lack of affordable housing were raised as issues throughout the process.

One DA is owned by a ‘locals’ consortium, who won considerable concessions behind closed doors at a court mediation with Council’s consultant lawyers.

The clearing now underway for the Tower Holdings DA – called Harvest Estate project – is headed by wealthy Sydney-based developer, Terry Agnew.

Immediate neighbour, Tom Vidal, alerted The Echo of the clearing, and says he shares a 1km boundary with Agnew’s DA.

Vidal is also secretary of the Belongil Catchment Drainage Board, and says he spoke on matters regarding drainage and flooding for the DAs.

Comms broke down

‘I personally arranged a meeting between Terry Agnew, his CEO, and some councillors at my place, after communication broke down between the parties in November 2019’.

‘Consequently, a much better outcome was achieved than the first proposal; unfortunately our “local” mates were not so understanding’.

As for the ‘locals’ DA, he said, ‘The secret court negotiations were woeful’.

He added, ‘To ask residents to make submissions to the court without notifying us that most points of contention (traffic, storm water, drainage, flooding, social impacts etc.etc) were conceded already was quite unbelievable’……

Read the full article here.

BACKGROUND

The Echo, 24 September 2020:

….A lot has happened in the West Byron saga since Villa World’s Development Application (DA) was rejected by the Northern Regional Planning Panel on April 8, 2019.

First, the landowner, Tower Holdings, had to repay Villa World Ltd their $10 million deposit for an interest in the development, as it was dependent upon a successful DA.

Then Tower Holdings purchased the subsidiary Villa World Byron Pty Ltd so that they could appeal the rejection in the Land and Environment Court.

In August, there was a court conciliation conference on the original DA, to which seven community members were allowed to submit short written statements.

Now, Villa World Byron have submitted a revised DA to the court, which is on public exhibition until Wednesday September 30.

There will be no extensions, and the court will determine the DA. …..

Byron Writer's Festival returns as a live 3-day event from 26-28 August 2022 at North Byron Parklands

The Byron Writers Festival 2022 will be held on 26 to 28 August, with a program of 99 sessions with writers, commentators, environmentalists, poets, politicians, comedians and artists who together shape stories of hope, courage and change.

The full program across these three days can be found at:

https://byronwritersfestival.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/BWF_2022Program_web.pdf

All 2022 Festival tickets are now on sale, subject to availability and booking fees. 3-Day, 1-Day and Kids & Family Passes give access to sessions taking place at the Festival site, North Byron Parklands. Feature Events, Satellite Events and Workshops are separately ticketed and take place at venues throughout the region.

 

Contact:

Street Address

2/58 Centennial Circuit

Byron Bay, NSW 2481

Postal Address

PO Box 1846

Byron Bay, NSW 2481

Telephone: (02) 6685 5115

Fax: (02) 6685 5166

Email: via website at https://byronwritersfestival.com/contact-us/

Echo, 26 July 2022:

The Byron Writers Festival is set to feature more than 20 Indigenous writers and storytellers this year, leading discussions with a focus on healing and learning.

The stories of Australia’s eminent and emerging First Nations writers will be at the forefront of the festival, which begins on August 26.

‘Byron Writers Festival has again delivered a strong and tightly curated program which platforms leading First Nations thinkers, writers and poets from across the continent – a diverse range of voices that are much at the forefront of our national dialogue,’ Byron Writers Festival Board Member, and Bundjalung man Daniel Browning said.

Clockwise from top left: Evelyn Araluen, Bruce Pascoe, Marcia Langton, Paul Callaghan, Jackie Huggins, Aaron Fa’Aoso. Image: Byron Writers Festival

The ongoing impacts of colonisation will be among the topics explored at the main festival site, with some of the country’s leading intellectuals including Marcia Langton, Jackie Huggins, Chelsea Watego and Veronica Gorrie taking the stage.

The Thea Astley Address will be delivered by Professor Judy Atkinson on the power of stories to heal.

Black Comedy stars Steven Oliver and Aaron Fa’aoso will also be part of a line-up that will include Bronwyn and Ella Noah Bancroft, Danny Teece-Johnson and emerging authors Megan Albany and Mykaela Saunders.

The program will also showcase experts in First Nations science including Bruce Pascoe, Corey Tutt and Krystal De Napoli and Karlie Noon, whose book Sky Country explores Indigenous astronomy.

Mia Thom, an emerging Bundjalung leader who was co-organiser of the School Strike for Climate movement within the Byron Shire will take part in the panel ‘Leaders for the New Age’ and the Saturday night feature event ‘Radical Hope’.

Paul Callaghan will share how Indigenous thinking can change your life in sessions focused on healing and wellbeing.

‘No writers’ festival in Australia would be complete without a strong representation of First Nations voices,’ Artistic Director Zoe Pollock said.

‘Particularly in this moment, when we are facing the climate crisis head on, more space needs to be created for Indigenous people to share their knowledge and lead discussions around the way forward.’

In the evenings the Brunswick Picture House will become a hub of highlight events including ‘Bundjalung Nghari – Indigenise’ presented in association with theatre company NORPA and curated by Rhoda Roberts featuring Bundjalung stories written by Steven Oliver, Kylie Caldwell, Ella Noah Bancroft, Melissa Lucashenko and Daniel Browning.

The festival has also partnered with Blak & Bright curator Jane Harrison to present ‘The Bogong’, a Blak version of ‘The Moth’, featuring award-winning poet Evelyn Araluen amongst six brilliant First Nations authors in spoken word form.

Every year Byron Writers Festival fundraises for the important work undertaken by the Indigenous Literary Foundation. Festival patrons are encouraged to make a donation in one the orange boxes that will be circulating the festival site with volunteers or at the ILF tent.

Delta Variant Outbreak 2021: as the world turns in Northern News South Wales

 

As of 8pm on Tuesday, 26 October 2021 there have been 122 confirmed cases of locally acquired COVID-19 infection in the Northern NSW Local Health District (NNSWLHD) since on or about 13 September 2021 when the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant first entered north-east New South Wales from the Greater Sydney area.

Community transmission has spread the virus into all seven local government areas - Tweed Shire, Byron Bay, Ballina, Kyogle, Lismore City, Richmond Valley and Clarence Valley.

As yet the infection numbers are relatively low.

The confirmed cases location breakdown between 13 September & 26 October 2021 appears to be:

Tweed Shire - 6 cases + 1 infection contracted elsewhere in NSW

Byron Bay - 7 cases

Ballina - 11 cases

Kyogle - 16 cases

Richmond Valley - 20 cases

Lismore City - 25 cases

Clarence Valley - 36 cases.

Those numbers are roughly equivalent to 3 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases a day in the local health district over 43 days and, as yet community transmission has not ceased.

As for NSW Health announcements of public venues of concern/exposure sites or information on hospitalization/treatment in the community - this tends to be infrequent.

COVID-19 State of Play: Northern NSW infection growth 15 to 19 October 2021

Between Friday 16 October and Tuesday 19 October 2021 there were 6 confirmed cases of COVID-19 cases across postcodes 2460, 2462 & 2463 in the Clarence Valley Local Government Area,   In the same time period there was 1 case reported in Lismore LGA and 1 in Ballina LGA.

Up to 19 October there have been a total of 102 COVID-19 cases recorded in the Northern NSW Local Health District since the Delta Variant Outbreak entered north-east NSW on or about 13 September 2021 and within days community transmission started to spread into all 7 local government areas.  

It would appear that to date around 28 per cent of all people in north-east NSW infected in this outbreak reside in the Clarence Valley.

Kempsey, Byron Bay & Tweed Shire local government areas re-enter NSW regional lockdown from 5pm tonight for a minimum of 7 days

 

Kempsey, Byron Bay & Tweed Shire rejoin Lismore City in regional lockdown.....

NSW Health, media release, 21 September 2021:

Stay-at-home order for Kempsey, Byron Tweed LGAs

Stay-at-home orders will be introduced for the Kempsey, Byron Shire and Tweed Local Government Areas (LGAs) from 5pm today for seven days due to an increased COVID-19 public health risk.

These stay-at-home orders also apply to anyone who has been in an affected LGA since the following dates:

Kempsey LGA - 14 September

Byron LGA - 18 September

Tweed LGA - 18 September

Everyone in the affected LGAs must stay at home unless it is for an essential reason, which includes shopping for food, medical care, getting vaccinated, compassionate needs, exercise and work or tertiary education if you can't work or study at home. [my yellow highlighting]

People who are fully vaccinated can attend an outdoor gathering of up to five people for exercise or outdoor recreation, as long as all of those aged 16 or older are fully vaccinated.

To determine the extent of the risk and detect any further potential COVID-19 cases in these areas, we are calling on the communities to come forward for testing in large numbers.

A strong response to testing will be a key factor in determining if these stay-at-home orders are extended beyond one week. High vaccination rates are also essential to reduce the risk of transmission and protect the health and safety of the community.

COVID-19 vaccination is available through NSW Health clinics, GPs, pharmacies and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHS).

Use the COVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker to find the nearest vaccination clinic, or refer to Get your COVID-19 vaccination.

A list of regional and rural NSW Health vaccination clinics is available on the NSW Government website.

Northern NSW Local Health District, media release, 20 September 2021, excerpt:

One new case of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Northern NSW today, and will be included in NSW Health’s official reporting tomorrow (21 September 2021).

Initial investigations indicate that this person has been infectious in the Byron, Ballina and Tweed areas between 18 and 20 September.

The person is not a resident of the Northern NSW Local Health District but is isolating and receiving care in the area. The case travelled on Virgin Flight VA 1141 on 18 September, leaving Sydney at 7:30am and arriving in Ballina at 8:45am.

All passengers and crew are being contacted by NSW Health and will be required to get tested and self-isolate as instructed.

Further contact tracing is currently under way, and we will provide updated information as soon as it is available, including any exposure venues of public concern.

To 8pm on 19 September there were no new confirmed cases among NNSWLHD residents.