BECTON'S BYRON BEACH FRONT SUBURB REPRESENTS OVERDEVELOPMENT OF FRAGILE SITE
Monday, 25 August 2003 10:00
A peak NSW environment group has described the proposed Becton development in Byron Bay as being an inappropriate overdevelopment of a fragile site that should be reconsidered.
Total Environment Centre coastal campaigner Fran Kelly said the proposal for the site which lies along a kilometre of beachfront, next to protected SEPP 14 wetlands and at the mouth of Bilongil Creek would have an unacceptable impact on the natural environment and the town if approved in its current form.
"The proposed development of 379 houses, hotel, commercial shopping centre, on site sewage system, restaurant and surf club is no different to some of the most inappropriate overdevelopments currently underway in the Tweed Shire to the North and Ballina Shire to the south. It simply represents a gross overdevelopment of a very fragile site," said Fran Kelly.
"The site has numerous recorded threatened species, limited ability to cope with the extent of sewage and pollution that would be generated and as a beachfront estuarine area is easily damaged by low level usage let alone the extent of impact this proposal would generate," said Ms Kelly.
"The proposal also represents a 20% population rise to a town already experiencing problems coping with existing visitor and resident levels,"
"While some sort of development may be likely to occur there, this proposal is out of step. The tourist zoning should not enable what is effectively a large residential subdivision with its own shopping centre and sewage treatment plant to occur, albeit described as a holiday home development," said Ms Kelly.
No matter how pretty a Masterplan of a development can look, it does not show what happens once the excavations, buildings, and use of the land enters the equation," said Ms Kelly.
"We hope the Minister is able to influence the outcome of this proposal by asking the developer to rethink the extent and type of the proposal in this place. A much more appropriate smaller scale development, fitting with current approvals and zoning, would still be very profitable for the developer as well as ensuring a far lower impact. It would be a win win situation for all," said Ms Kelly.
For more information contact Fran Kelly or Jeff Angel on 9299 5599 or 9299 5680
For further information
Contact
:
Fran Kelly
Phone
:
61 2 9299 5599
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:
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WWW
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http://www.tec.org.au/
