A key planning document that will shape the future of the sprawling Gulgan North Business and Industrial Lands precinct is set to come before Byron Council for ratification this week.
The owners of the 52-hectare site at 66 The Saddle Road, Brunswick Heads already have preliminary approval for a large mixed-use development featuring both light industrial and work/live employment land.
But the new Development Control Plan (DCP) chapter to come before councillors this week sets the key parameters for the macro-planning and design of the development.
11.5m height to dominate?
Crucially, the DCP chapter, if adopted as written, features an 11.5m height limit.
The document’s authors state that this will facilitate a ‘strong architectural expression,’ but some have questioned whether this will mean the built form dominates the natural landscape.
They also state that the proposed amount of development on the site will be ‘dense’.
‘The challenge is to design building forms, appearance and material that can both express the intensity of development and a rural character,’ the document’s authors state.
Three precincts
Under the plan, there are to be three development precincts alongside a collection of environmental conservation, management, and rural landscape zones.
The first precinct will feature a range of businesses and workspaces with self-contained accommodation for those who wish to live and work from home.
As such it will feature things such as office premises, creative industries, high technology industries, and information and education facilities.
The second precinct, toward the west of the site, will feature smaller artisanal workspaces with common facilities.
The preferred land uses in this area include creative industries, function centres, goods repair and reuse premises, neighbourhood shops, and indoor recreation facilities.
Third precinct light industry
The third precinct will be the light industry and general industrial zone, featuring operations such as boat building and repair facilities, freight transport and repair facilities, hardware and building supplies, and panel beaters.
In terms of roads, the planning document sets out that there will be an internal access road linking the upper and lower parts of the site that will be both a ‘collector’ road and a public road.
It will be designed to be rural in nature with the purpose of connecting the three distinct Gulgan precincts with each other and with Gulgan Road.
In terms of building design, the development is set to feature buildings that are described as ‘Byron style’, characterised as ‘informal, light weight construction that responds to the sub-tropical climate of the region’.
The buildings will reportedly feature a climate-responsive design, passive cooling strategies, high ceilings and open spaces and natural light integration.
For more information or to read the full report see the agenda to this week’s Council planning meeting on Byron Shire Council’s website www.byron.nsw.gov.au.
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