To whom it may concern.

We recently heard from Valerie Thompson at the Total Environment Center that the Department of Planning stated it had only received 60 submissions, on the FNC strategy.

I would like to formally submit on behalf of the Tyagarah Progress Association, also known as the Tyagarah Sustainable Community Alliance, in support of the Total Environment Center's submission on the Far North Coast Strategy.

We have specific concerns that the strategy does not address the significant community planning and support for the environment in the Byron Shire, and is in effect "dumbing down" planning to the lowest level.

We are support of state planning where it sets MINIMUM standards for environmental protection, to prevent the damage that can be done in such a short time by rogue or corrupt councils such as that recently in the Tweed, but believe that local councils could and should be able to set higher standards than any in state plans.

In stead of developers pushing for exemptions to allow development, it should be the other way around, communities should be able to push for exemptions to toughen up the standard and protect our critical coastal environment.

I look forward to hearing that our submission has been received and counted.