Byron Shire Council has asked the North Coast Community Housing Company to investigate options for affordable housing at a council-owned site in Station Street, Mullumbimby, which had been earmarked for sale.
It is the same site where last month protesters petitioned council to stop the axing of a large old fig tree.
Yesterday’s meeting of Byron Shire Council endorsed the development of the community housing project which, if it goes ahead, will be its first such initiative in the six years since council introduced its affordable housing strategy in 2009.
A stipulation of the development is that the controversial fig tree, which council officers had identified for removal, is to be kept as part of the community housing development on the site.
Deputy mayor, Paul Spooner commended the successful motion as ‘a wonderful initiative of council to identify a parcel of land close to the centre of Mullumbimby’.
‘Affordable housing is not just about the rents people pay but also about other costs they have to bear like transport and food,’ said Mr Spooner, who is also manager of the Byron Bay Community Centre.
‘This housing development will ensure people are within walking distance to shopping facilities, a range of local services and a community garden.
In the motion, council approved the general manager to ‘enter into negotiations with North Coast Community Housing Company regarding the potential development of a range of affordable housing and community housing (including aged, disability, and low income) at 70-90 Station Street, Mullumbimby’.
Mr Spooner described it as ‘a great outcome’, adding it was ‘the first practical step that council has taken to ensure that those on lower incomes are able to remain living within the Byron Shire community’.
Speaking to the motion at the council meeting Mr Spooner said, ‘Council should not just be concerned with the interests of commercial operators or property developers. Council should be about facilitating good community outcomes for all our residents.
‘This housing development will ensure people have affordable, safe and modern housing to meet their various needs.’
Byron Shire Council has provided for a six month due diligence period to the North Coast Community Housing Company to help them to ascertain whether such development options on the site are viable and able to be resourced.
Community housing forum
In nearby Lismore, a community housing forum yesterday heard that at least $300 million is available to regional councils that are able to put up viable proposals for community housing.
At the forum, Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell urged developers to ‘literally think outside the box’ to come up with designs that were more adapted to the elderly.
But she told ABC local governments also needed to be more proactive in their efforts, including ‘rezoning appropriate land but also relaxing some of the limitations or size restrictions, so that we can have either smaller lots or medium density’.
Some years ago, several people including a local architect, David Brown,various interested persons, Councillors and Council staff were involved in a study to use this land for just this very purpose.
Why the project didn’t go ahead I have no idea but a lot of good work was done, protests were heard and generally it was seen to be worth pursuing.
Please access those files and proceed asap!
Why are good ideas that don’t see the light of day in one era then resurrected as a NEW initiative and the work redone at huge expense and wastage??
What an excellent outcome. So glad that Lismore City Council is also moving on this important “social front” (and that they have identified funding sources).
Thanks to all the souls who gave of themselves to protect this beautiful fig tree. I am pleased that it will remain standing and providing homes to the many creatures that make up our bio-diversity.
As far as the Affordable Housing story goes, perhaps Byron Shire Council (BSC) staff and Councillors would do well to take a look in it’s archives as bureaucracies tend to have very short memories
I was a volunteer community member of Byron Shire Council’s “Affordable Housing Advisory Committee” (AHAC) from 2000-08. There is a raft of information and work that has already been done to further the need for Affordable Housing in the Byron Shire and in particular the site where the fig tree will continue to stand.
Tinah Hadley
Just build the yurts for people. Cheap affordable housing for everyone.