Another shop-top housing development has been proposed for central Mullumbimby – the fourth such application to be submitted in the past year.
As residents continue to trawl through the plans for unit proposals on Station and Stuart streets, new plans have been submitted for a $2.3 million development at 20 Tincogan Street.
According to the development application (DA), Prudent Superannuation Pty Ltd is proposing to replace an ageing weatherboard cottage with a two-storey 497-square-metre building.
Commercial and appartments
The building would feature commercial office space on the ground floor, with five residential apartments located above.
Four of the apartments would be single-bedroom units, while the fifth would have two bedrooms.
According to the developer’s Statement of Environmental Effects (SEE), the development would have a maximum height of nine metres, which is the maximum allowable for this part of Mullumbimby.
The floor space ratio would be 0.61:1, which is well under the maximum of 0.75:1.
Flood-prone site
The flood report submitted as part of the DA indicates that the lower level of the proposed building would be flood-prone.
As such, the ground floor offices will have to be built with flood-compatible materials, and all future tenants made aware of the potential for flooding.
The SEE asserts that the development will not increase the risk of flooding in the immediate locality.
Heritage character
It further claims that the development will ‘compliment’ the heritage character of the town, and ‘enhance the streetscape’.
‘The design of the proposed building has been inspired by the heritage character of the existing brick buildings in the conservation area,’ the authors of the SEE, Planners North, state.
‘The proposed development is a high quality “heritage-compatible” design that provides highly livable housing in a building that integrates with the traditional design values and character of the town.’
The DA is currently on public exhibition until January 28. It can be viewed, and submissions made, via the YourSay section of the Byron Council website (www.byron.nsw.gov.au).
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
