If 1000 people make a submission supporting the Byron Council's original ruling which rejected this overdevelopment on environmental grounds, and challenging the way it was overturned on a State level (despite our own environmental laws being ignored) - then the powers that be have to act to review the situation. So there is a last chance that this compromised and flawed planning decision can be overturned and a good decision made in the interest of our local environment and the community, rather than individual profit. Please read John's submission which has well research facts on the repercussions of damaging these precious wetlands, and write a submission in your own words, backed up by this research. Please also encourage others to participate in a groundswell of community opposition to overturn this dangerous failure in policy. Once it is destroyed, there will be no turning back for Byron Bay.

Author : John Sparks - ASTC (Arch) Dip CD, MPIA, ARAIA, FAPI -
P.O. Box 321 Bangalow 2479
***SUBMISSION - to Draft DCP WEST BYRON***
To the General Manager, and Councillors -
Byron Shire Council
P.O. Box 219
Mullumbimby NSW 2482
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dear Sirs,
The West Byron Urban release area in an integrated part of an amazing Wetland that contains 48 threatened species, 39 migratory species and 2 endangered ecological communities,
The outlines of legally protected areas and environmental zones have been drawn form outdated survey data and are not site truthed. You cannot draw a line on paper and say it is priceless wetland on one side, with concrete, buildings and infrastructure on the other because they are both directly connected and are mutually exclusive.
According to the developers ecological reports, the rezoning would remove 10 hectares of native vegetation and the site filling would destroy 28 hectares of vegetation. It would also remove flood storage capacity and increase flood hazard conditions outside of the site.
The developers want to exploit us. They want to use our roads, our energy infrastructure, our water supply, our drainage, our sewerage treatment and discharge, give us their waste and use our food, shops, schools, community and sporting facility so as they can cram as many dwellings onto the site, to maximize their money take away from Byron. This is not ethical or beneficial to the local community and would only destroy the reason people come here.
Nature is more valuable than buildings. It is sustainable and will give us much greater return than buildings. Artificial planting to replicate Nature loss will not replicate ecological balance.
I therefore request that the following requirements be included in the final DCP and that these conditions and objectives be incorporated into the relevant management plans required by this DCP.
1) All Native vegetation on the site shall be retained and protected. (reason - to comply with the Native Vegetation Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
2) No filling is to be used to raise existing site levels.
(reason - To preserve native vegetation, to retain existing flood storage capacity and reduce flooding in the town centre and existing low lying residential areas.)
3) The total development is to ve self sufficient in energy, water, waste and food with zero carbon emissions.
( reason- to not place unsustainable demands which would overload our existing services infrastructure. To generate store and use the increased energy demands to collect, reuse, treat and discharge water within the site. To treat sewerage generated and pollution before discharge into the wetlands, to collect and recycle waste efficiently to supplement local food in a community garden to reduce and offset carbon emissions to zero.)
4) No infrastructure to be placed in environmental zones.
(reason - because they are mutually exclusive land uses and to protect the natural environment.

 Click icon to down load West Byron Bay Masterplan PDF.

Thank - You -
John Sparks - ASTC (Arch) Dip CD, MPIA, ARAIA, FAPI