It’s on – NSW government-run development corporation Landcom has lodged its development application (DA) for 28 tightly-packed ‘affordable’ units and commercial space, which would replace a very busy Mullumbimby carpark at the town’s entrance.
While Byron Shire Council (BSC) isn’t the applicant, they manage the land, and staff and councillors have been enthusiastically pushing for it behind closed doors.
Development application (DA) 10.2025.212.1 is on Council’s website, but so far, you have to search for it, as it doesn’t appear on the DA list – yet.
Thirty complex consultant reports have been filed, and the cost estimated is $16,521,743, all of which you, dear taxpayer, pay for.
It’s 11.5m in height and fills the entire width of the car park, and proposes to be built on around 900mm of fill.
The question around this long-running saga is whether it’s a good development, and whether the good Mullum town folk have been afforded a transparent process that led to this.
Good process includes whether alternative locations were tabled, which as we know, they weren’t.
Authors of the DA’s Community Engagement Report ignored that question when they were asked by the community.
Instead, the optics are that it’s a done deal. Another optic is that if Council can manage to get this monstrosity over the line, it breaks the back on the next one. And the next.
It’s inner-city urban design slapped into a small regional town that lacks adequate public transport.
We are presented with a desperate picture that this will house the poor. It won’t of course, because the metrics around affordable housing don’t work. Social housing is the key.
And besides, Council want a few of these units to house their own staff.
Planning processes should be transparent and fair. That’s how we, as a community, can have trust in authorities.
Being a consent authority is an enormous privilege and responsibility, and should never be taken for granted. It’s actually a mystery as to why the ‘Greens’ mayor and most councillors don’t aspire to good planning processes.
Wouldn’t they want to lead by example, and make this place a better place to live?
Neighbours of the large Myocum subdivision that was approved last week found out first-hand that when you provide evidence where process is lacking, you are ignored by both Council staff and councillors.
It’s particularly important here, as the deputy mayor, Jack Dods, was part of the shambles that led to the approval. He never apologised for it, let alone tried to correct it.
Instead, he doubled down and angrily accused The Echo of bias. Classy!
That is just one recent example of poor process which let the community down. There are many others.
Hopefully over the winter break, councillors will reconsider their approach to the environment and the people who call Byron Shire home.
Hans Lovejoy, editor
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