A $4.3 million industrial development will be built on a sensitive greenfield site next to the Harvest housing estate in West Byron after receiving approval from Byron Shire councillors.
The subdivision, to be built at 288 Ewingsdale Road, will see the site divided into 17 industrial lots varying in area from 11,447m2 to 13,897m2.
The project was approved at last week’s Council meeting after the developer, Hannas Contracting Services, took Council to the NSW Land and Environment Court over its ‘deemed refusal’ of the development application.
74,000m³ of fill
With the project receiving the green light, Hannas is now free to truck a total of 74,000m3 of fill onto the site in a bid to mitigate the risks of flooding.
It will also build an access road that will feed into and out of Ewingsdale Road, adding dozens of additional truck movements to the main artery each day.
Documents show that the land slated for development includes an area of wetland that is home to a number of threatened native species, including two different types of acid frog.
The developer has undertaken not to build in this particular area, and to compensate for the sizeable areas of other vegetation that will be cleared to make way for the development.
While the consultant hired by the developer gave the proposal a clean bill of health in terms of its environmental and flood impacts, former Greens councillor Duncan Dey told last week’s Council meeting that the storm water analysis for the site was deeply flawed.
‘I think a deep mistake has been made in the approach used in the analysis undertaken by the consultant, and that has been accepted by Council staff,’ said Cr Dey, who is a qualified and experienced hydrologist.
Stormwater consideration
‘The stormwater matter has not been correctly considered, and I’m asking you to take it back to the drawing board and get it considered properly.’
Councillors did not send the development back to the drawing board.
However, at the request of Greens councillor Elia Hague, a series of conditions were imposed on the development in a bid to address the stormwater issues.
This included a requirement that the developer submit a full and detailed stormwater management plan demonstrating that the project is in accordance with Council and state government guidelines prior to any construction taking place.
Conditions were also imposed in a bid to address the absence of pedestrian and cycle access to the site.
In proposing these conditions, Deputy Mayor, Jack Dods (Independent), said that the industrial development was part of a ‘very long and complex suite of approvals and planning proposals that relate to the infamous West Byron urban release area’.
‘We don’t have enough time to go through the long and arduous history of what happened here,’ he said.
‘But essentially, this site was a bit of residual land sold by the previous owner, the owner of the Harvest estate’.
Cr Dods said that the development was permissible and would release much-needed industrial land.
‘The Byron industrial estate is basically full… it’s at capacity. Every site is heaving with a multitude of uses,’ Cr Dods said.
‘From a strategic point of view this is necessary.’
The application was approved, with conditions, by all councillors.
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