Nick Buckley, Byron Bay
Another mega DA (development application) in Byron? Who would have thought it! This one has, so far, snuck under the radar. It is probably the last large undeveloped parcel of residential land in town at 6 Keats Street, Byron Bay.
Currently there is only one two-storey building adjacent to this site, and this DA is for ten two-storey townhouses!
From my understanding of the DA, the scale and bulk of this development will dwarf and overlook all other residences on the north and eastern sides. The location of all the living and outdoor/pool areas being on the northern side guarantees that the maximum visual and noise interference will be to these residents. These buildings, despite the setback, will be looking directly into their gardens and windows. The privacy of these residents will be permanently destroyed and their house values with it.
Additionally, Keats Street is already a traffic nightmare with No.7 (another multi-unit site) yet to be occupied; this development at No.6 will just exacerbate the issue.
Maybe some much needed affordable housing? You’re joking. This will be more like an up-market short-term holiday-let (STHL) theme park. There are nine ‘owners’ of these proposed townhouses, (one has opted for two, to go with his other three STHL in town.)
Then there are the stormwater issues. The plan is to run all stormwater from this site into Cumbebin Swamp. This has become Byron developers’ ‘go to’ (and apparently bottomless) drainage solution to every stormwater problem: ‘Tip it into Cumbebin Swamp and it’ll go away!’
There is a token attempt at storm surge detention using ten 5,000 litre tanks; however, the plans show these are buried beneath the carports (below swamp level, and no mention of pumps!). And that’s without considering any wildlife that might dare to venture out of the swamp!
This DA is due before Council’s April planning meeting and represents exactly what continues to happen to this town… $$$$$$
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