Recent discussion about community concerns over inappropriate development and overdevelopment in the town of Byron Bay has been heartening. Not everyone has given up, and some of us are more than willing to add our voices to ‘hold the line’ and try to stop it (Letters, Paul Cholakos, June 1).
The community, however, needs to be aware that the problem is now impacting on the village of Suffolk Park. A mega-development overseen by Denwal Suffolk Pty Ltd, a company registered in December 2020 and based in Glebe, Sydney, is currently on exhibition. It is not offering a facelift. This is a mixed use project that will dwarf the adjacent local single-storey shopping precinct in Clifford Street, and exacerbate the problems getting in, out, and around the village on an everyday basis.
The issues remain the same. Insufficient public scrutiny owing to the advertising level deemed appropriate. Buildings looming over the landscape, claim to provide ‘affordable housing’. Private dwellings, some of which will inevitably become investment properties and unhosted Airbnbs. Breaches of floor space ratios. Impact on traffic congestion, which is currently untenable. Parking. Homogenous ‘contemporary’ architectural design that is completely out of character with surrounding commercial premises…
The entire build of three-storeys at a proposed height of nine metres is a mixture of retail as well as housing on 4000 + sqm. It includes seven triple-storey townhouses set back with plunge pools and generous parking. At an estimated construction cost of $10–11 million, the developer is set to make a vast profit. What is the cost to this community?
Clifford Street simply cannot sustain this level of development with the inadequate and deteriorating infrastructure already in place. It will also change the unique character and culture of the village irrevocably.
When listed for sale, this site was promoted by its marketers as ‘ripe for its next owners’ vision’. It was an ‘Opportunity to shape the future of Suffolk Park’. It will certainly shape the future of our village if it goes ahead.
The developer’s vision should not proceed without appropriate scrutiny and consideration by concerned residents, neighbours and the new Council.
Councillors need robust engagement with Council staff to ensure parity between the interests of developers and other stakeholders in the community if we are to resist the precedents established with routine manipulation of regulations. The preservation of what is left of the spirit of Byron demands it.
It is a considerable relief to see the exhibition period extended for two weeks, facilitated by Councillor Duncan Dey. Hold the line? Indeed! Ensure your community voice is heard.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
