Is it a valuable addition to Byron Bay’s desperately limited housing stock, or a congestion-inducing overdevelopment on one of the Shire’s busiest roads?
This is the question facing Byron councillors this week as they consider an application for a 24-unit residential development at 56-58 Bangalow Road.
Proposed by private investment consortium Propel Investment Management Pty Ltd, the $9 million development would see two old houses demolished and replaced with two blocks of units. The units would be made up of one-and two-bedroom dwellings, with three designated ‘affordable’ under state legislation, and three adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
The dwellings would be serviced by parking for 30 cars, intersection upgrades to Bangalow Road, and a recently constructed, as-yet unnamed, new Council road.
The developer is proposing to remove 40 native trees to facilitate their plans, and to offset this loss through compensatory planting and ongoing weed management within the adjacent coastal wetlands, including the installation of fauna boxes.
Council staff have recommended that the development be approved, declaring that it would ‘provide much-needed housing supply to the Byron Bay town locality’.
Exacerbate traffic
However, they also acknowledge that the proposed traffic generated would exacerbate the ‘already failed level of service on Bangalow Road…’ which was a consequence of ‘the current peak time traffic volumes along it’.
Public submissions on the proposal suggest that local opinion regarding the plan is divided.
Of the 33 comments received, 20 were in support of the plan while 13 were opposed. There was also a petition with 30 signatures objecting to the project.
Those supporting the plan argued that it would provide much-needed housing for those who could not afford the ballooning cost of renting or buying a house in the Bay.
‘It’s pleasing to see a well-planned development that addresses the housing crisis within Byron Bay and Byron Shire,’ one supporter said.
‘There is a disproportionate number of new developments that only cater for the luxury end of the market’.
‘Not enough thought has been given to consider the local economy or essential workers who desperately need quality, well-designed affordable housing, as proposed by this scheme.’
However, those opposed to the plan (a group consisting mainly of those living in the immediate vicinity) argue that there are significant issues in terms of size, the increased traffic created, the exacerbation of parking shortages, and the ecological impact.
‘We now find ourselves in a position of having lost some 12-15 parking spaces in Bangalow Road, a turning lane with no consideration to the residents who can no longer have visitors, as it is now ‘no stopping’, and all this was done without consultation with the affected home owners…’ one objected stated.
Another queried why it was that Council staff had previously expressed ‘serious concerns’ over the traffic situation on Bangalow Rd but were now recommending approval. The matter will come before this Thursday’s Council planning meeting for determination.
It may provide an early indication of where the members of the new councillor cohort stand on issues of housing supply, overdevelopment, and environmental protection.
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