Mayor Michael Lyon has confirmed that Byron Council will offer full ownership of a public car park in central Mullumbimby to local community housing providers in return for an agreement that affordable housing will be built on the site.
In a decision made during confidential session at last week’s Council meeting, all but one councillor (Greens Cr Duncan Dey) voted in favour of an amended tender process for Council-owned land at 57 Station Street.
Council has been pursuing the plan, located between Milk & Honey Pizza and the former Hoopers restaurant, for 32 one and two-bedroom affordable housing units on the site, since the beginning of 2022.Initially, the plan involved building. The units above the existing car park, but now the proposal is to build over the entire site, and offset the losses with extra parking on the periphery of town.
Late last year, Council put the project out to tender, offering the region’s community housing providers a 49-year lease for the site.
However, with the housing providers effectively rejecting this proposal, Council has decided to compromise by offering full ownership of the land, in return for an agreement that the site will be used for affordable housing in perpetuity.
General Manager, Mark Arnold, has been given delegated authority to conduct the entire tender process.
Two units slated for Council staff accomodation
Cr Lyon said that, as part of the deal, Council will take ownership of two units once the block has been built.
These will be used to provide housing for new Council staff trying to get a toe-hold in the Shire’s incredibly tight housing market.
‘The provisions of the Local Government Act state that we can’t dispose of Council assets for less than their value,’ Cr Lyon said.
‘So, we’re offering it in a way that meets our obligations under the Act.
‘A successful tenderer will be required to transfer two of the units back to the Council. We will use those units to provide transitional housing to new staff.
‘There are a lot of jobs that we have struggled to fill because the prospective staff can’t find anywhere in the area to live. So this will help to address that problem.’
Council has also reached in-principle agreements with the state government to build two new car parks in Mullumbimby to offset the loss of spaces.
The first would be built on vacant rail corridor land opposite the old Tony Carsburg site. The second would be located on vacant rail corridor land located next to the old Mullumbimby Station.
Some community members have questioned the selection of the land opposite Tony Carsburg for parking, pointing out that this is not in keeping with the Mullumbimby Masterplan.
‘The gateway [into town] is an opportunity to reflect Mullumbimby’s green image and establish varied living forms and opportunities within walking distance of the town centre,’ the Masterplan states.
Not aligned to town masterplan
However, Cr Lyon said that Council had stuck to the plan as much as possible given the changing circumstances created by the 2022 floods.
‘The Masterplan does envisage parking on the periphery of the town, so this is consistent with that goal,’ Cr Lyon said. ‘We will be creating two-to-three times the parking that is currently available in the Station St car park – we’re looking at around 150 spaces being created,’ he said.
‘So overall there will be a net gain in parking.’
I would approve this development as long as the buildings don’t exceed two story. In keeping with other buildings in Mullumbimby, retaining the aesthetics of this Unique Country Town .
What does “parking on the periphery of the town” mean?
Where are they looking at doing this, a 20 minute walk away at the showground?
The compromises make sense, it’ll be good to create the central social housing. It’d just be nice to have some more transparency in the detail if this is already getting approved.
How about putting the new parking in first or the affordable accommodation on one of the parking sites. Wrong move for me and they won’t get my vote again
This piece of open space in Mullumbimby’s CBS is necessary both for parking and should an emergency occur. Should a fire start there isn’t sufficient room for fire engines, ambulances and SES vehicles to operate in the laneways that are also too narrow for modern vehicles to pass one another. Also, mothers with babies and prams and elderly and disabled people with mobility aids would find it extremely difficult to disembark from a car park in Prince Street and walk to town. At present they can disembark at McGoogan’s Lane, walk to the Burringbar Street or Stuart Street through low-risk, short distance, walkways. The roads that they would have to cross under the planned development would be dangerous and any use of a zebra crossings would contradict the intention of the roundabout opposite the ‘Poinciana Carpark’ to expedite traffic out of town. Good town planning foresees these events and allows for them. Building ‘Affordable Housing’ in the ‘Poinciana Carpark’ isn’t something that works well for the whole community.
I don’t know if there’s something I’m missing, but as far as I can see, lovely little Mullumbimby is at full capacity already.
Let alone proposing new units in town (and two for council’s own self, no less), the large approved developments in McAuleys Ln and in Coorabell, will create hundreds more cars on the road.
Affordable housing is a lovely idea.
Somewhere else. And not on the proposed car park.
Lucy, we leave in a progressive town, please reconsider your NIMBY attitude. Housing needs to be built where people want to live. This proposal is quite modest and will be accommodating the most needy. Densifying neighbourhoods is good for the environment and good for infrastructure.