The clearing of the flood prone development site at 60 Tringa Street, Tweed Heads appears to have been completed by developers MAAS Group Holdings who then pulled out from the site on 24 April. 

The approval is part of a 27-year-old development application (DA) that was bought last year by MAAS Group Holdings from Dubbo for $20M+ that sits on the floodplain next to Cobaki Creek, and the Tweed River. 

A new Essential Guardian poll shows 60 per cent of Australians support a freeze on rental increases.

Greens candidate for the federal seat of Richmond, Mandy Nolan, has welcomed national polling data showing strong public support for the Greens housing policies. 

Ms Nolan says this is a policy the Greens have been pushing but is opposed by the Labor government. 

In the middle of the worst housing affordability crisis in decades, the government is doing nothing to help renters. We need an immediate two-year rent freeze, says Mandy Nolan, who last week announced shes running again in Richmond. The federal electorate has been held by the Labor incumbent Justine Elliot for almost two decades.  

Another report this week confirms the national crisis in rental affordability is getting worse, with estimates from ANZ CoreLogic that low-income households must now spend over half their income on rent. When renters are paying more than one-third of their income in rent they are considered to be in rental stress.

All of us in this electorate know stories of teachers, nurses and other essential workers who cant afford houses or rents here. Rents have spiralled out of control, says Man...

On Sunday a 75 year-old man fell down the steep side of the Tweed section of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail near Crabbes Creek and breaking his hip. 

Greg Bowering said he and his 75-year old friend were riding the Tweed section of the rail trail near where Crabbes Creek Road meets Tweed Valley Way when the accident happened. After the underpass the trail curves around and goes up a very steep incline and that is where the accident happened.  

When the cyclists in front of me went up the other side one of them stalled and ran out of power on the slope. I put my foot down, but was near the edge and stumbled and fell down over the side, the injured cyclist told The Echo from Tweed Hospital following surgery.  

Both Greg and his friend said there was a sign that tells cyclists to dismount but that they didnt see it and none of the cyclists in front stopped and dismounted either.

It is a really sharp bend and really steep. Thats why they have the sign to dismount I assume, but most people, like me, dont see it. They need to improve it and put in a rail. They should have some sort of railing to prevents what happened to me happening to someone else. The drop is around one-and-a-half metres down over ruggard, sharp rocks.

The injured gentleman told The Echo that hes done a lot of riding and while the rest of the trail was excellent the section from the underpass was narrow and poten...

Byron Council have been forced to explore the possibility of a public private partnership to fund its planned bioenergy facility in Byron Bay.

Its an option that would effectively mean privatising the plant and the public land it sits upon, for 25 years or more. 

In the latest chapter in the six-year saga over the proposal to build the waste-to-energy plant next to the Byron Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), it has now emerged that Council cannot viably fund the $23M project by itself, and that government funding is unlikely to be forthcoming in the near future.

At last weeks meeting, councillors voted to submit a proposal to the state government for the project to be considered for initial assessment as a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Rejected application

This follows an unsuccessful funding a...

Today is the fourth anniversary of the disappearance of Tho Hayez, an 18-year-old Belgian backpacker who was last seen leaving Cheeky Monkeys bar in Byron Bay at around 11pm on May 31, 2019.

Since then, hundreds of people joined searches and the community drew together to help a family from the other side of the planet find their beloved boy. 

An inquest found that Tho was most likely deceased, but State Coroner, Teresa OSullivan, told the court the investigation was unable to determine the cause or manner of his death.

Though life goes on for the Byron community, and the Hayez family, Tho is always in their thoughts.

On Monday, The Echo spoke to Thos dad, Laurent Hayez, in Belgium a man who has always been deeply indebted to the community for their love and support throughout the years. 

Weve been experiencing sadness and so many other emotions for fours years now, he said. Four years of thinking about him every day and wondering what happened to him.

For four years, weve been convinced that he must have bumped into someone between the Cheeky Monkeys bar and the Cosy Corner on Tallow Beach.

And four years that weve been hoping for a testimonial to put an end to this mystery and this torture of not knowing.

...

Local MP, Tamara Smith is standing by her claim that NSW government run corporation, Reflections Holiday Parks, is a private enterprise, despite its new CEO claiming it is a certified social enterprise.

Following the recent story on the ongoing issues around the Brunswick Heads Terrace Reserve Holiday Park that it manages, Reflections Holiday Parks CEO, Nick Baker, wrote a letter to the editor to clarify who Reflections Holiday Parks is.

He says, Reflections is a Category One Crown Land Manager and a NSW statutory entity, under the Crown Land Management Act 2016.

It is also a certified social enterprise (the only holiday park group in Australia with this status) and, crucially, it reinvests all surpluses into public (Crown) land.

Reflections manages 23,000 acres of public land on behalf of the NSW public only six per cent of this is holiday parks; the remainder is Crown reserve, open to members of the community for their enjoyment.

Reflections has never sold land, and cannot do so because we dont own it we manage it for the people of NSW, on behalf of Crown Lands.

Ballina Shire Councils crews are attending to a water main break that has occurred on Allens Parade in Lennox Head this morning.

Water supply will be temporarily unavailable to properties on Allens Parade, Dress Circle Drive, and Pinnacle Row while repairs are underway.

The Council says it is making every effort to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

It has apologised for the inconvenience and will continue to provide updates via Councils website.

It has provided the following tips to assist locals during the outage:

• During any water disruption its important to leave your taps off as the water may return at any time.
• When water returns it may be discoloured. This is due to sediment. Please run the tap until your water runs clear.
• Your water may appear milky. This is caused by small air bubbles. Dont be alarmed it is not harmful, and will settle in a short period.

Those with enquiries are asked to contact councils Water and Wastewater Section on 1300 864 444.

The post Burst main forces temporary water supply cut in Lennox Head appeared first on The Echo.

Byron school students could take part in regular community tree plantings on land owned by Byron Council as a way of learning about bush regeneration and acting on climate change.

But the initiative is facing a funding challenge, with Council needing support from the community or government for maintenance of any tree planting project.

Last weeks Council meeting heard that a planting event last year on Council land at Azalea Street, Mullumbimby saw 800 trees planted by around 50 school students.

Initiated by the organisers of the Regeneration group, which has run a series of seed propagation workshops in schools over the past year, the event was a huge hit with students and the school community more broadly.

To be able to put a tree in the ground and get your hands dirty is really satisfying when youre finished, nine-year-old Louis Moynihan-Burne told the meeting during public access.

And even more satisfying in 10-15 years time when youre able to look at the forest and say I planted that tree or that forest.

The Council agreed to explore what parcels of land it owns that might enable further school tree planting activities in the coming years.

This includes possible sites on Valances Road and Riverside Drive in Mullumbimby.

Marine Rescue NSW will take part in the first of three regional Search and Rescue Exercises (SAREX) on the NSW North Coast at Ballina this weekend (June 3 and 4).

Marine Rescue NSW Northern Zone Commander Mal Jeffs said the exercise is vitally important to ensuring Marine Rescue NSW volunteers are rescue ready.

We exercise our skills, our training and our coordination, which in this case is with the Marine Area Command, part of the NSW Police, in the work that we do to support them, Commander Jeffs said.

The SAREX will be held across Saturday and Sunday and see Marine Rescue NSW volunteers work alongside multiple Emergency Services agencies.

This two-day exercise will involve Marine Rescue NSW, Surf Life Saving NSW and the NSW Police particularly the Marine Area Command.

Our main goal is to test our capabilities to see how we perform at a high level looking for missing people.

We coordinate our searches and our search patterns to try and get positive outcomes for locating and recovering missing vessels, missing people and the like.

Commander Jeffs said a variety of vessels and craft will be used during the exercise including rescue boats, rescue water craft and a helicopter.

We run them (SAREXs) in the area regularly, not necessarily of this size but we test all our capabilities, vessels and personnel including radio operators, he said.

Marine Rescue NSW members from the Point Danger, Brunswick, Ballina, Evans Head, Iluka Yamba, Wooli, Coffs Harbour and Crowdy Harrington units will take part in the exercise.

Regional SAREXs are held annually with exercises planned for the Hunter/Central Coast and Batemans Bay later this year.

Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.

The post Search and rescue exercises in Ballina this weekend appeared first on The Echo.

Lismore City Council, the Lismore Regional Gallery and vacant shop owners, have announced the launch of the Lismore City ArtVenture.

The program is designed to revitalise Lismores business centres by transforming empty shop front windows into vibrant art exhibition spaces, showcasing the local arts sector and supporting local businesses.

Mayor Steve Krieg said works from Lismore Regional Gallerys permanent collection would be reproduced and displayed on the windows of empty shops to help eliminate the negative visual impact of vacant premises.

This initiative is designed to entice people back into our business c...

Independent Ballina Shire Councillor Jeff Johnson has lost a last-ditch effort to reinstate a council investment policy clause in favour of diverting from fossil fuels.

The council last year voted to get rid of a clause directing staff to invest council funds in non-fossil fuel aligned accounts when the expected yields shown were better, the same, or no worse than 0.05% less, compared to fossil fuel aligned accounts.

The vote came after 53 of 56 public submissions on the councils proposed investment policy showed support for reverting back to the 0.05% preferential margin or strengthening the policy for non-fossil fuel aligned investments.

The preferential margin was expected to represent around $9,000 in potential annual foregone profits, council staff said at the time.

Staff recommended dropping the preferential margin and a council majority of 6-4 voted accordingly.

More than one way to invest in fossil fuel free projects

Australias largest fitness-based mental health event, The Push-Up Challenge, is back in 2023, encouraging Australians to push for better mental health.

Participants will take on 3,144 push-ups across 23 days in June, putting the spotlight on the tragic number of lives lost to suicide in Australia in 2021.

Thousands of Australians from all ages and walks of life participate in the event which engages people in mental health through connection, physical activity and education.

Founder of The Push-Up Challenge, Nick Hudson, said The Push-Up Challenge is a great way to get fit, connect with your community and do something positive for your mental health, all while honouring lives tragically lost to suicide.

Everyone will likely experience a mental health issue

Its likely everyone will experience a mental health issue at some point in their lives, so by pushing up and learning about mental health, we hope to break down the stigma attached to mental illness so that Australians dont think twice about reaching out for help.

The Push-Up Challenge is a free event, and participants can choose to fundraise and support beneficiary partners Lifeline or Movember, or the charity which runs the event, Push for Better Foundation.

Fundraising is an optional part of the event.

With our focus on men...

The Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin called a local tourist spot is a gem among the many incredible natural wonders of the Northern Rivers as she announced two reserves in the Lismore region will be upgraded.

A funeral will be held today for George Davidson OAM who was once a Tweed Shire Councillor and a passionate advocate for the Tweed.

Mr Davidson passed away in Brisbane on May 12, where he has lived in recent years following 16 years of community involvement in the Tweed. He was 85.

Mr Davidson received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)  in the General Division in 2010 for his service to the Tweed community through a range of local government, sporting and veterans organisations.

Mr Davidson served the Tweed as a Councillor from 1999 to 2004. He was Deputy Mayor in 2002 and 2003.

Active in the community

He was active in the Tweed Coast community in particular and was president of the Cabarita Beach/Bogangar Residents Association from 1997 to 1999.

Mr Davidson will also be remembered by many for his role as chairman of the Cabarita Beach Sports Club for a number of years in the 1990s.

Current Councillor Warren Polglase served on Council with Mr Davidson, he said George was very professional in his dealings in local government, reliable and sincere, with a good sense of humour. He supported growth and opportunities at that time. He also strongly lobbied for improvements to Les Burger Field at Bogangar and was instrumental in its rejuvenation and the facility we see there today.

Former Tweed Shire Council General Manager Mike Rayner who was Director of Engineering during Mr Davidsons time as a Councillo...