Pod residents preparing to leave the Brunswick/Bayside Village will no longer have to leave a week earlier, after the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) told The Echo they were incorrectly informed that they needed to move out by June 20.
In the aftermath of the 2022 floods, RA established 11 temporary housing villages across the Northern Rivers on council and private land.
The Echo reported in April that RA announced that the Bayside pods in Brunswick Heads were among four North Coast temporary housing villages that will close on June 27.
The land is joint-owned by Clarence Property and Byron Shire Council.
Two flood-affected residents approached The Echo last week, distraught that they were advised the eviction was moved forward owing to all residents being allocated accommodation.
A spokesperson from RA told The Echo, ‘There’s no change to the date that Brunswick/ Bayside Village stops operating as a temporary housing village. It remains 27 June 2025’.
‘We know that people in the villages need assistance, which is why Homes NSW and our community housing provider partners are actively supporting residents to look for alternative accommodation outside the villages.
‘Where other accommodation arrangements have not been found, offers of transfer to other villages within the program have been made.
‘Residents who have accepted a transfer to another village have been given 14 days to move to their new village. Some residents were recently informed that they needed to move out by June 20, however that is not accurate. The date that the village closes for residents remains June 27.
‘Community housing providers continue to provide support to residents as they transition between villages.
‘There are currently nine residents still living in Brunswick/ Bayside Village. All are actively transitioning to alternative housing arrangements or have been offered a transfer to another village.
‘We want to make sure that people impacted by the floods are safe and supported with somewhere to live while more social and affordable housing for the region is being delivered,’ the spokesperson said.
Questions put to the office of Labor MP Janelle Saffin and RA remain unanswered, including, ‘Have Clarence Property requested that they purchase the pods after eviction? If not, what will happen with the pods? Will they be sold or if not moved where?’
Byron Council is advocating for the retention of the nine emergency housing pods located on Council-owned land at the Bayside temporary housing village in Torakina Street, Brunswick Heads.
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