Well over 100 people gathered at the Mullumbimby Civic Hall last night to hear about accessing home ownership. The information night, sponsored by Mullumbimby’s Tallowood Ridge Estate, attracted a broad cross section of the local community from those keen to enter the housing market to agents and architects.

Following an introduction from Mandy Nolan, who shared thoughts on placentas, the big prawn and council approvals, guests heard from Future Housing Taskforce Founder Kevin Doodney, whose presentation covered:

• How housing affordability has changed  In 2001 the median house price was 4.7 times the average annual income. In 2011 it was 7.3 times. The average tax on a $450,000 mortgage (a Greek word meaning until death) is $150,000. All up, a $450,000 loan will cost over $1 million during the life of the loan, with weekly repayments of $672 on today’s interest rates. Historically the boomers paid a third of their income on a mortgage. Today people are being asked to pay up to 76%, which is why we are becoming a nation of renters. In 1950 the average home was 115m². Today it’s 250m².

• Smarter housing  15% is lost in hallways and wasted space such as dinosaur rooms, which are rooms you use less than 15% of the time (formal dining rooms etc). It costs the same to build a two car lock up garage as it does to build a lounge room, whereas a two car port could be one tenth of that cost. One $12 switch that cuts all power at night can save $1,000 per year on standby electricity charges alone.

• Practical housing design options
– The Individual Design dwelling costs $268,400 full turnkey (aerial, landscaped, key in the door, air conditioned) for two homes. “The beauty of it is that you can rent one side” said Kevin. “This is a duplex with two bedrooms on one side and one on the other. A second bedroom can be added for $15,000 to give two two bedroom homes”.
– The Dual Key dwelling, which is practical for those with ageing parents or teenage children, can work as one large five bedroom home or two homes with three bedrooms and a two car lock up garage on one side and two bedrooms and a one car lock up garage on the other. “Or you can rent one side, live in the other and reduce your mortgage considerably” said Kevin.

Other speakers answered questions on building and finance, President of the Mullumbimby Community Gardens Greg Dutton asked “What do you grow in a community garden?” and Christopher Dean spoke about the vision for the Tallowood Ridge community.

Burringbar single mother Michelle Matus asked about ways to access a mortgage without a deposit. “It’s good to know that Tallowood Ridge has the community in mind”, she said at the end of the night. “They are open to a more sustainable vision, with community gardens”.

“There were several layers to the evening” said Alina Burdechevsky. “There is a business opportunity on an amazing piece of land. I can see community and commerce co-existing.”

The night raised approximately $500 for the Mullumbimby Youth Cottage.

For more information visit www.futurehousingtasforce.com.au or www.tallowoodridge.com

For further information, interviews or images please contact Caroline Desmond
02 66875674  0415 499429  caroline@carolinedesmond.com.au

Beloved songstress Sara Tindley will grace The Byron at Byron Resort on Mothers’ Day.

Anybody who caught Packed to the Rafters this month, East of Everything or the Bondi Rescue series’ will already be familiar with Sara’s music, which combines the emotional honesty and storytelling of country music with the unadorned melodies and musicality of Australian roots and folk.

“I love Mothers Day” said Sara. “It’s such a deep, intense and kind of comical gig being a Mum. There is true joy in watching and guiding your children through all their stages. It’s the toughest and most beautiful job of all. Mothers’ Day at The Byron at Byron is a real treat. To eat delicious food in a relaxed setting, glass of bubbly in hand, listing to live music is a lovely way to honour the hard and often undervalued work Mums do”.

Of Sara’s most recent album Time, The Australian’s Iain Shedden said “A beautifully stripped-down affair, with subtle instrumentation leaving the intoxicating, melancholy tone of the songwriter to shine through. That voice sits somewhere between Lucinda Wiliams brighter moods, and the sweeter, fragile beauty of Natalie Merchant.”

Sara has performed at major festivals including Blues Fest, Splendour in the Grass, Gympie Muster and Tamworth.

Mothers’ Day lunch with Sara Tindley in The Byron at Byron’s stunning rainforest restaurant.
12.30pm Sunday 13th May.
$65 per person including entree and main course from Head Chef Gavin Hughes, a flower for mum on arrival and a glass of sparkling wine.
Children (up to 12 years) may dine from the childrens’ menu.
Bookings are essential, please contact 6639 2111 or restaurant@thebyronatbyron.com.au

Following a comprehensive planning assessment process the North Byron Parklands site at Yelgun in the Byron Shire has been given the green light.

Today the Planning and Assessment Commission (PAC) announced approval for the venue, saying “the Commission agrees with the Director-General of the Department of Planning’s assessment that the proposal will provide Byron Shire with a permanent cultural events site attracting visitors to the area and generating much needed employment, as well as providing environmental benefits arising from revegetation”.

Changes to the approval recommended by the NSW Department of Planning are as follows:

• Outdoor events are approved for a trial period of five years up to the end of 2017.
• Outdoor events following the trial period will require a further approval from Byron Council under Part 4 of the EP&A Act.
• Three events per year will be permitted during the trial period.
• Up to a maximum of 10 event days will be permitted each year during the trial.
• No event must exceed 4 event days.
• The five year trial period allows for incremental growth in patron numbers:

Mat Morris, General Manager of North Byron Parklands, on the approved site

“It has been a long journey, we are pleased to finally gain approval” said Mat Morris, General Manager for North Byron Parklands. “Our proposal has been updated on various occasions throughout the assessment process, so we encourage people to go to our website at www.northbyronparklands.com and view the final approved plan.

“63% of the site is out of bounds, set aside for nature either as protected existing vegetation or new habitat areas. The overall land holding is 258.71 hectares, and of that only 93.29 hectares will be used for events, including parking and camping. Therefore we will only ever use up to 37% of the site for event purposes”.

The approval means the permanent return of Splendour in the Grass to the Byron Shire. The festival will be held at Belongil Fields this year and at North Byron Parklands from 2013.

“It’s great to be bringing Splendour back permanently to Byron where the festival began” said Jessica Ducrou, Co-Producer of Splendour.

“Events give people reason to travel, so the decision to approve North Byron Parklands is a smart one for tourism in this state” said Russell Mills, CEO of Northern Rivers Tourism. “We thank the many thousands of supporters of North Byron Parklands and Splendour as this approval will bring enormous social, environmental and economic benefits to the Northern Rivers”.

The approval heralds the commencement of the much anticipated North Byron Parklands Community Grants Fund.

For further information including interviews and images please contact Caroline Desmond  02 66875674  0415 499429 caroline@carolinedesmond.com.au

Please direct any enquiries about Splendour In The Grass 2012 or 2013 to:
Gabe Cramb 0419 798 995  gabe@scrabble.net.au