Living Together Network

Supporting a Sustainable Future for our Region

The Vision
a product of local collaboration in 1992 ~ which is currently making a reappearance!

Far North Coast Regional Strategy
www.planning.nsw.gov.au/plansforaction/northcoast.asp

Byron Shire Greenhouse Action Strategy
Byron Shire Council
www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Sustainability/Strategy.aspx 

Local Environmental Plan LEP 1988 Revision Date 19/10/07
Byron Shire Council
www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Download.aspx?Path=/files/Plans/Local_Environmental_Plan_1998.pdfByron Shire Council

Cultural Policy

Byron Shire Council
www.byron.nsw.gov.au/Download.aspx?Path=/files/Policies/Policy_Cultural.pdf

Parliamentary Address on the ‘Region of Villages’ developmental model for the Northern Rivers
By Mr Donald Page, Deputy Leader of The Nationals
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LA20040514011

Response to the ‘CrossBorder Transport Taskforce – Discussion Paper’
Northern Rivers Social Development Council
www.nrsdc.org.au/

House of Representatives Inquiry Into Local Government and Cost Shifting
By NOROC
Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils Inc
www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/efpa/localgovt/INDEX.HTM 

A resounding confluence of values, ideals, aims and objectives
is readily observable in many of the key documents produced in this region
over recent years
by government, business and the wider community

What follows is a work-in-progress, endeavouring to present the salient points from the above documents. Enjoy! And take great heart: we have MUCH to build upon!

The VISION

The Vision when originally circulated, was formally endorsed by 500 shire residents. The Vision is a summary of “A New Approach to Planning in the Byron Shire - Vision and Policies”, a Community Document compiled by BEACON in 1992

The Vision saw Byron Shire as a place where

• There is support for ecologically sustainable development, quality of
  life for residents and a prosperous economy based on sustainable
  development

• The natural environment is protected, and the scenic landscape and native flora and fauna are preserved forever

• There is respect for the views of local Aboriginal people in the
  protection of areas of Aboriginal cultural and archaeological
  significance

• Prime agricultural land is preserved for sustainable agriculture

• The variety of talents, culture and opportunities for self-expression and fulfilment are promoted

• Regional and global perspectives are combined with caring, supportive,
  co-operative attitudes and commitment to widespread self-sufficiency in
  vital urban and rural communities

FAR NORTH COAST REGIONAL STRATEGY
The Strategy advocates ‘A Region of Villages’ developmental model for the Far North Coast

Purposes

• Manage the Region’s expected high growth rate in a sustainable manner
• Protect the unique environmental assets, cultural values and natural resources of the Region
• Ensure that future planning maintains the character of the Region
• Ensure that future planning provides for economic opportunities

Key Elements

• Manage future growth by preventing the spread of coastal development and encouraging the development of non-coastal centres
• Maximize upon the region’s environmental features and recreational experiences …to further develop as a widely recognised domestic and international tourism destination
• Retain the village character of coastal towns such as Byron Bay while enhancing their status as (local and tourist) gateways to the region’s many assets and attractions
• Ensure adequate land is available and appropriately located to sustainably accommodate the projected housing, employment and environmental needs of the Region’s population over the next 25 years
• Ensure that future population growth is supported by required services and associated infrastructure
• Implement developmental policies that support a connected network of towns and villages
• Provide a choice of well designed housing and associated lifestyle options

Vision
The Far North Coast at 2031 is expected to be characterised by a series of contained centres, a coastal area protected from inappropriate development, and growing towns and villages across the Region

• A healthy, prosperous and sustainable future for the diverse communities of the Far North Coast Region
• Lismore and Tweed Heads continuing to be the major regional centres, with Ballina also emerging as a major centre
• Other towns and villages such as Casino, Kyogle, Uki and Bangalow recognised as places offering an alternate lifestyle
• More people living in and adjacent to centres ~ close to jobs, shops, services and leisure and recreational facilities
• An improved transport network ~ particularly in urban centres
• An increase in quantity and variety of employment opportunities
• Coastal towns such as Byron Bay, known as a national and international tourist destination, retaining their village character while still providing a gateway to the region’s many assets and attractions
• Areas of high environmental and landscape value… as well as key natural resources protected for future generations
• ‘Green Breaks’ between coastal settlements effectively protect important coastal biodiversity and to help strengthen the ‘region of villages’ concept

Definition of a Far North Coast Village:
A place that

• Is a relatively small ‘stand alone’ settlement (generally walkable) or an outlying suburb of larger centres
• Has developed its own distinctive image because of a historical and/or geographical location
• Has a strong relationship with its surrounding environment
• Generally has a small vibrant mixed use commercial, retail and residential precinct at its centre surrounded by small-scale residential development
• Has a strong sense of community

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LEP
BYRON SHIRE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN
1988 Revision Date 19/10/07

Aims

• Enhance individual and community well-being ~ both socially and economically ~ by following a sustainable and orderly path of economic development in the Byron Shire
• Provide for equity within and between generations ~ safeguarding the welfare of future generations
• Protect biodiversity and re-establish and enhance essential ecological processes and life support systems, attending to the protection and conservation of native animals and plants, threatened species, populations and ecological communities and their habitats
• Apply guiding principles to the management, development and conservation of natural and human made resources ~ again, for the purposes of
  • promoting the social and economic welfare of the community
  • protecting ecological and cultural heritage
  • achieving a better environment

• Provide and coordinate community services and facilities
• Provide for increased opportunity for public involvement and participation in environmental planning and assessment

More notes on the LEP’s exhaustive study of this regions assets and articulation of policies for its long-term protection will be forthcoming…

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BYRON SHIRE COUNCIL CULTURAL POLICY ~ POLICY NO. 3.42
Date Adopted 17 April 2003

VISION

• Vibrant community which embraces both traditional and alternative lifestyles
• Each of our towns and villages maintaining its own distinctiveness
• Council working in partnership with the community to ensure that programs reflect the diverse cultural desires of the community

PRINCIPLES and GOALS

• Protect the shire’s distinctiveness, liveability, unique natural environment and social diversity
• Enhance local identity and the community’s sense of place and belonging
• Acknowledge the cultural contribution of Aboriginal people
• Recognise that our villages and town centres are the hub of our communal life, and as such must have a high degree of amenity and sense of place in order to foster a strong sense of community
• Enhance the vitality and viability of our town centres and villages as meeting places, where the social and cultural life of the community is most intensely experienced, and to engage creative resources of the shire in their development
• Position Byron Shire as a centre for innovation in sustainable creative and cultural industries
• Utilise Byron Shire’s cultural resources for the diversification and growth of local industry and the generation of local employment opportunities
• Encourage creativity and innovation
• Acknowledge the importance of the knowledge economy and access to information for the economic and social sustainability of the Shire
• Recognise and foster Byron Shire’s distinctiveness as a national and global centre for the creative, spiritual and healing arts
• Embrace diversity and accept differences as the hallmarks of our cultural identity and the essential ingredient for sustaining cultural vitality
• Encourage collaboration and collective action (involving greater consultation, openness, participation and information access) so as to most effectively and appropriately further the region’s cultural development
• Maximise upon the aspirations shared between Council, the community, and the private sector

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PARLIAMENTARY ADDRESS in support of the ‘Region of Villages’ Developmental Model by Mr DONALD PAGE, Ballina—Deputy Leader of The Nationals
http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/hansArt.nsf/V3Key/LA20040514011

Regional Assets

• Historically the region developed as a series of villages, and at present three of every five local residents live in one of the region’s 300 villages
• Combined with rural industries spread across the region, and the proximity to the coast, that development pattern has created an extremely attractive lifestyle for local residents
• The natural beauty of the landscape is complemented by the perception that the area is generally not overdeveloped and possesses great charm

Advantages of the ‘A Region of Villages’ Development Model

• Allows residents to live in rural settings
• Allows the distinctive local character of each village to express
• Promotes a sense of community and feeling of belonging
• Fosters people’s connection to and happiness within the local environment
• Takes some of the pressure off the sensitive coastal areas where many people want to live
• Clustering in villages facilitates basic infrastructure provision
• Protects prime agricultural land
• Allows for a choice of lifestyle as villages are developed in conjunction with moderate growth in the region’s major centres

Example of Successful Village Development

Bangalow is an excellent example of a village that has successfully enhanced its village status to encourage investment in the area, improve residential amenity, and overcome the challenges associated with the redirection of traffic away from the village. The Spirit of Bangalow Program has addressed issues such as economic development, physical design, events and marketing, and social development. The residents of Bangalow and visitors are impressed by the strength of community spirit in the area and the success of the program. Bangalow has is a healthy mix of new influences, whilst preserving what is good about the old. People who live in Bangalow generally participate in local events, whether it be the local show, the music festival, the billy cart derby or the Christmas Eve street community get-together.

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House of Representatives Inquiry Into Local Government and Cost Shifting
SUBMISSION BY NOROC
Northern Rivers Regional Organisation of Councils Inc
Submitted by Brian Martin, Executive Officer NOROC on Tuesday, July 23, 2002

Background
NOROC is a co-operative of local government bodies representative of the Clarence and Richmond Valleys of NSW and comprising the Councils of Ballina Shire, Copmanhurst Shire, Kyogle Shire, Lismore City, Maclean Shire, Richmond Valley, North Coast Water and Rous Water

NOROC’s role is to strengthen the role of local government in the Northern Rivers in regional affairs by working effectively with Federal and State Government and the business and community sectors across the region in pursuit of improved social, economic and environmental outcomes

Areas where local government could more effectively provide and co-ordinate regional delivery of services subject to adequate government funding include:

• Community services – day care, aged, vacation school centre, neighbourhood centres and youth centres
• Community safety
• Community education i.e. educational facility infrastructure requirements
• National resource and environmental management
• Regional and economic development including tourism

Challenges
The ability of Councils in the area to effectively deliver the desired standard of service and infrastructure is hampered by the constraints imposed by government and the inability of local government to expand its revenue base

Recommendations
There should be a better way of delivering government services to the regional and rural community by the establishment of representative regional bodies responsible for co-ordinating and allocation of resources and finance through local government. At the moment the effective and efficient management of resource is fragmented by the range and diversity of responsibilities of the Commonwealth and State Government. The management of resources can also be affected by the variety of bodies competing locally and regionally for government resource allocation.
Local Government should be given direct funding from taxation revenue to support the growing responsibilities in this area

Further Notes on Challenges and Recommendations

Challenges
There are ever increasing demands on Councils in our area and those throughout NSW created by the imposition of state government legislation and administrative controls. These demands not only affect the financial ability of local government, but also affect the capability of local government to perform its traditional service role for the community.
NOROC like all other local government bodies, has expressed its concerns at the rapid escalation of public liability insurance and the adverse affect of the public liability crisis on the communities organisations. NOROC has made representations to the government in this regard, calling for urgent action to find a solution to a national co-ordinated approach.
Local government’s capacity to maintain existing services and infrastructure is already compromised. In many instances Councils are already forced to cut services and defer crucial infrastructure expenditure. This is particularly true at our local level.
Without a broader financial base, local government will definitely not be in the position to effectively meet new statutory obligations, deliver new services demanded by the community or to build new infrastructure required to support development of our region. Local government will not have the capacity to take on new roles and responsibilities.
Within this constrained financial environment Local Government has had to cope with new and increased responsibilities. …an expansion in the range of services provided by Local Government over the past 25 years. In that time there has been growth in expenditure on human services, with increases in education, welfare and public safety services. There has also been an increase in the relative importance of recreation and culture and housing and community amenities. While not highlighted as a separate category in the Government Finance Statistics, it is also clear that Local Government activities in the areas of the environment and planning have also expanded substantially, particularly in recent years. Expenditure on roads remains as a major category of expenditure and continues to grow in real terms, but has declined as a proportion of overall expenditure.
The evidence strongly indicates that the current financial situation is not sustainable in the long run. While the situation is one that needs to be urgently addressed by all spheres of government, there are certain actions required of the NSW Government. Not to act risks serious failures in service and infrastructure provision.

Recommendations

• The NSW Government needs to amend the current system of rate pegging to make it more responsive to the genuine needs of Local Government generally and individual councils. [See Addenda] Secondly, the government needs to make a provision for Local Government from future GST revenue.
• Local Governments in NSW should receive their fair shares of the national government revenue (following leads taken by the Victorian, Western Australian and Queensland Governments)
• Co-ordinate allocation of resources and services at a regional level with adequate funding from a share of GST funds by alleviating the financial and administrative constraints imposed on local government
• Local Government must be formally recognised in the Australian Constitution

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RESPONSE to the ‘CROSSBORDER TRANSPORT TASKFORCE ~ DISCUSSION PAPER’
Northern Rivers Social Development Council

Challenges
Significant risks associated with continued reliance upon road based transport as the primary transport mode within the region include

• Costs to local Councils and RTA for road maintenance, upgrades and realignments
• Decreasing viability of private vehicle usage in the medium to longterm in light of the ‘peak oil’ scenario and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Problems regarding accessibility of CountryLink coach stops on rural roads
• A real need for better planning to meet the transport needs of both the North Coast and South East Queensland population
• How to adequately service a growing population

Assets

• The existing rail corridor between Murwillumbah and Casino
• Major tourist destinations are sited along this rail line – Murwillumbah, Mullumbimby, Byron Bay, Bangalow and Lismore
• A large number of airport shuttle services currently run between Ballina and Byron Bay catering for the tourist population indicating a legitimate option between integration of rail and bus transport modes

Recommendations

• Focus on the existing rail corridor between Murwillumbah and Casino rather than looking at an alternate coastal alignment
• Make this corridor the basis for future transport and planning for land use, future social and community infrastructure (health, employment and educational facilities)
• Provide transport options that
• Develop an Integrated Regional Transport Plan, including the Regional Bus Reform so as to
  • decrease private vehicle usage and road based freight
  • support the Far North Coast Regional Strategy’s plans to reduce coastal population pressures and develop inland settlement and employment centres

• Include in the Integrated Regional Transport Plan
  • Long distance container and smaller local freight movements
  • Commuter rail, coach, bus and taxi services? including equitable fare and ticketing options
  • Local accessibility action planning
  • Active transport options – pedestrian, cycling

Advantages of following these recommendations

• Greatest potential for increasing public transport patronage
• Reduce costs associated with the development and maintenance of road based infrastructure to service a growing population
• Furthers the purpose of delivering ‘equitable and accessible transport to match community needs’ ~ noting that accessible and equitable provision of transport options meaningfully addresses a social justice issue

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GeoLINK ~ an environmental management and planning agency ~ did an award-winning Case Study on The Northern Rivers Regional Strategy (precursor to the Far North Coast Regional Strategy)

The Study identified:

Regional Assets

• A unique, relaxed and alternative lifestyle
• Historical development as a region of villages, having around 300 individual settlements.

Challenges

• Having one of Australia’s highest population growth rates
• The looming threat of urban sprawl
• How to preserve the uniquely different character of the region
• How to manage the region’s future through a regional, innovative and sustainable approach

Recommendations

• Pursue the ‘concept of the village’ as a model for sustainable development

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BYRON SHIRE GREENHOUSE ACTION STRATEGY
Adopted 25 June 2004 Revised 10 April 2008 Document No. #754215

Challenges:

• Recent evidence suggests that climate change is happening much faster than previously expected
• Byron Shire will not remain unaffected by climate change, as this global phenomenon is likely to cause climate variations at the local scale. The coastal location of Byron Shire means that it is particularly vulnerable, with climate impact predictions for Northern NSW Coast being:
  • Change in rainfall patterns, with increased rain in summer and autumn and less rain in winter and spring
  • Increasing occurrence of high intensity rainfall events and severe storms with increased evaporation rates
  • Sea level rises of up to 80cm by 2100
  • Increased flooding incidents in summer/autumn
  • Double the occurrence of spring droughts
  • Increased coastal erosion and hazards due to storm surges and increased wave height.

These changes may impact the wellbeing of local communities and their economic prosperity

• Changes such as sea level rise, increasing winds and changes to biodiversity may diminish the Shire’s appeal as a place to live and visit – possibly impacting on the tourism industry.
• Farmers and landholders may be faced with increased flooding incidents causing erosion, crop damage and livestock loss in summer, and drought and water restrictions affecting production in spring.
• Damage to property and infrastructure, such as roads, communication and sewerage systems, is also possible.
• Biodiversity may be threatened by changing habitat ranges. As species migrate they will be prevented from doing so due to habitat isolation and fragmentation in the Shire; threatened species may become extinct.
• Ecologically important coastal wetlands face inundation by sea water and there may be an increase in the range of pests such as cane toads and fire ants, leading to further effects on biodiversity.

Recommendations

• Climate change is an issue that will affect all of humanity, and as a consequence action is needed
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions ~ in keeping with good economic, environmental and social sense
• Byron Shire Council aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a minimum 30% (from 1990 levels) by 2020, with biannual reviews
• Reduce energy usage through undertaking simple actions such as promoting energy efficiency and installing energy efficient technologies

Actions
In response to the important role local government can play in the reduction of greenhouse gases, Byron Shire Council joined the CCP™ (Cities for Climate Protection) program in September 2002. As part of this program, Council created an emissions inventory and forecast in order to strategically identify what activities are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and to determine the most appropriate strategic actions to reduce these emissions.

More notes on Byron Shire Council’s extensive findings, recommendations and actions to reduce this Shire’s greenhouse gas emissions will be forthcoming…