Darren Coyne
Ballina shire council will hold a workshop to determine whether to allow a $4.4 million three-story development in the heart of Lennox Head.
Councillors spent over an hour at yesterday’s meeting debating an application to build the mixed-use development on three lots on land between Rayner Lane and Ballina Street.
The applicant, a Mullumbimby pharmacist, wants to consolidate the three lots into one, and erect two buildings on the site.
If approved the development would consist of a mix of commercial premises for food and drink and retail outlets, along with a range of shop-top housing units.
The development would include two buildings, with Building A being two stories with three separate commercial/food and drink premises on the ground floor and five office premises at first floor level/alfresco area.
Building B would be three storys, and would include four shop top housing premises with office spaces below.
The three parcels of land until recently housed the Lennox Thai Gardens Restaurant and motel accommodation, although they were demolished in late 2014.
A previous application to build 16 mixed use tourist/residential units in a two storey building on the sites was never completed due to the developers claiming it was ‘financially unviable and unmarketable within Lennox Head’.
In order for the new proposal to be built, the council would have to make changes to its development control plan for the area.
Ballina mayor David Wright told Echonetdaily that the proposal generated a debate, which lasted well over an hour.
‘The DCP might need changing and while we’re not against that, we decided to have a workshop to discuss the details,’ he said.
He said a number of objections had been received during the exhibition period.
Those objections centred around issues such as increase in traffic on Rayner Lane, that the height of the three-storey building was excessive, and that it would impact on the amenity of the area.
Cr Wright said a workshop to thrash out the details of the proposal would be held prior to next month’s council meeting.
I agree with Fred Goodman views( Resident’s Association) in the April edition of the Wave-“It is contrary to those basic principals of maintaining the seaside village atmosphere”. Sky high buildings and wall to wall commercial development is not what the people of Lenox Hd want for the heart of their town. Less is always more when it comes to congestion and space that is overloved and crowded. Parking is a huge issue and affects us all. sky high guttering and artistic rooflines will never replace a view of blue sky and sunshine. Why on Earth did they all move here in the first place?Because it is special. Agree with Crs Jeff Johnson,Keith Williams, Ken Johnson.