A proposed $2.3 million development at Byron’s Sunseeker Motel would see a large volume of traffic pour onto a quiet, family-friendly street, according to concerned residents.
As reported in last week’s Echo, the Bangalow Road accommodation business is seeking permission for a major new addition, including the construction of a new two-storey block for up to 40 additional people.
The proposed development also involves the removal of eight trees, the addition of 14 new car spaces, and the construction of a 1.8-metre boundary fence.
New entrance frpm Oakland Court
However, our story failed to mention that the development application (DA), which is currently before Byron Council, also seeks approval for a new entrance from Oakland Court.
Thankfully, the good folk on and around that leafy street have alerted us to our omission and have voiced their concerns about how the new entrance will impact their quiet patch.
In a series of stinging submissions to Byron Council, the residents are calling for the DA to either be significantly amended, or for consent to be refused completely.
‘There is a new generation of families with young children in the street, which has a reputation as a family-friendly street, with green space and a known location for koalas, where the children can meet and play,’ Oakland Court resident Liz McCall said.
‘This proposed entrance would see an increased volume of traffic to a suburban street that already is narrowed to one lane at best during the week, due to workers from the motel, customers to the motel coffee caravan and workers from the health clinic on Bangalow Road, utilising the street for parking. Entrance and exit from the street is already problematic due to narrowing of Bangalow Road at that point.
A happy suburban street
‘If they must extend the motel footprint, they need to do it without impinging on a happy suburban street and known koala habitat, and perhaps pay for the necessary changes to Bangalow Road to accommodate the increased traffic flow if required.’
Neighbours have concerns about a range of other aspects of the plan, including the significant increase in occupancy the development entails, the lack of acoustic mitigation for the increased noise that this would create, and non-compliance with Council regulations in relation to setbacks and the height of the new boundary fence.
According to the Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE) accompanying the DA, the new addition seeks to ‘cultivate a sense of warmth and personality, reinforcing the Sunseeker’s distinctive “home-away-from-home” experience’.
‘The aim is for this addition to the Sunseeker to become an evolution of an enduring hospitality experience, offering guests a place of comfort, character, and connection within Byron Bay’s unique cultural and natural landscape,’ the SEE says.
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