Detailed plans for a 50-unit boarding-house-style development in central Mullumbimby have been released for the first time.
The development application (DA) for ‘The Nest’ at 115–119 Stuart Street was submitted on 5 December 2025 and is now on public exhibition until 7 February.
Billed as a direct response to the housing crisis facing the Byron Shire, the $8.2 million development would see two old cottages replaced with a nine-metre-high, three-storey building and a 41-space carpark.
On the second and third floors of the building would be 50 tightly packed, one-room units, each with its own micro bathroom and kitchenette. These would be accompanied by communal living areas, including co-work spaces, communal laundry areas and a yoga deck.
On the ground floor would be a communal kitchen, a 30-seat cafe, an artist-in-residence office, and 76 square metres of communal space.
The DA indicates that construction of the development will be largely modular in nature. While the ground floor will be constructed on site, the co-living apartments will be built off-site, transported to the property and craned into position.
Tightly packed
Detailed architectural drawings provide the first clear sense of the proposed development, which would be unlike anything Mullum has seen before.
The rooms, including 34 singles and 12 doubles, are tightly packed in a style similar to a boarding house or backpackers’ hostel and each has a floor area of 18 or 19 square metres.
This would be large enough to swing a very small marsupial (if one was inclined to do so) but not a cat.
The developer says the small apartments, with shared facilities, are designed to lower rental costs compared to traditional self-contained apartments.
According to the developer’s community consultation report, locals have expressed concern about a number of aspects of the development, including the building height, number of parking spaces, number of units, and the impact on the character of the street.
However, the developer’s community consultation report also asserts that key community groups such as the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce (MCC) and the Mullumbimby Residents Association (MRA) are on their side.
Yet MRA spokesperson Dale Emerson told The Echo while they support much-needed affordable housing, he questioned how stormwater and traffic would be managed, for example.
The community as a whole now has its chance to have a say on the proposal, which is open for public exhibition on Council’s website (www.byron.nsw.gov.au).
To have your say go to the Your Say section of Byron Council’s website, click on ‘Development Applications on Exhibition’ and scroll through the list until you find the development at 115–119 Stuart Street.
The developer’s website for the project is https://www.nest-mullum.com.au/about-our-project
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