Greens Vote Against Yelgun Spendour Site
The Byron Ballina Greens is opposed the establishment of a Festival Events
facility at the Yelgun site. A meeting of members adopted this position due
to the social impact, the environmental sensitivity of the area and its
close proximity to the Billinudgel Nature Reserve.
The Greens support BEACON, the Byron Environment Centre (BEC) and
Conservation of North Ocean Shores (CONOS), the South Golden Beach Progress
Association, New Brighton Village Association, the Yelgun Progress
Association, the North Coast Environment Council and Australians for
Animals in opposing the plan.
Due consideration was given to the enthusiasm for cultural events and the postive impacts on the local economy of attracting visitors to the area. The fundamental problem is that the proposed site is adjacent to a nature corridor.
In 1995, approx 325 hectares of mainly wetlands was acquired by the NSW Coalition Government and the Billinudgel Nature Reserve was established. In 1996, the NSW Labor Government added a further 400 ha of environmentally significant lands to the reserve. Further acquisitions, via the Coastal Lands Acquisition Scheme & Compensatory Habitat, have been added to the reserve which now covers an area of approximately 1,000 ha. The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority has purchased Compensatory Habitat, incorporated fauna movement devices in the highway design (under and over passes) and carried out extensive habitat rehabilitation in an effort to enhance the function of the wildlife corridor and mitigate impacts of the new highway. All this at the cost of 4.5 million dollars.
To situate a festival venue in the middle of Australia's most easterly wildlife corridor would disrupt the breeding cycles of threatened species, in particular Koala and microchiropteran bats. The impact of 23,000 patrons per day, traffic movements and the high noise levels booming from the within the wildlife corridor, would not only affect threatened species, the local community will also suffer.
A proposal of this scale in an area of high environmental and cultural sensitivity cannot be justified.
Giovanni Ebono
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