Recently friends visited from overseas, and we dropped one of them off at Byron for a day of adventure. They walked the beach up to the lighthouse, chatted to locals and visitors alike, sampled food and drinks, underestimated the Australian sun and got sunburnt, and had a wonderful day.
Meeting them for dinner they had two things to say about the town, it was smaller than they were expecting and wasn’t it amazing that the buildings were so low and you could still see the sky.
It was the second observation that struck home and reminded me of why it is worth fighting to keep the height limits in place for Byron Shire and Byron Bay. The lower building heights aren’t just a bunch of locals who don’t want the town to change; it is about how the town feels, how people – tourists as well as locals – interact with the town and how it makes them feel, whether they want to come back, or recommend it to friends.
Currently there are three development applications (DAs) in the NSW state government’s fast-track development pathways, the Housing Delivery Authority (HDA) and State Significant Development (SSD) pathway for Byron Bay. These include one seeking to build to 16m high at the old Mitre 10 site, 148–156 Jonson Street, and one seeking to build to 21m high at the old Woolworths site, 98–106 Jonson Street, (currently Haven). Both significantly exceed the height limit of 11.5m.
Byron Shire Council voted on 15 October to again ask the NSW state government to exclude the Byron Shire from both the HDA and SSD fast-track pathways that override our local environment plans (LEPs), town masterplans and development control plans (DCPs).
Everyone wants more affordable housing to be built (but rarely next door), and developers of these sites are entitled to seek approval based on the rules applicable at the time. However, unlike local planners, residents and our visitors, rule-makers in Sydney don’t have to live with the consequences of the approved developments forever.
There is a NSW state government election coming up in May 2027 and this is an opportunity for anyone who wants to preserve the character and beauty of Byron Shire’s towns and landscapes to speak to your local MPs, both state and federal, as well as talk to potential future candidates of all persuasions about what their position is on removing Byron Shire from the fast-track development system and, particularly in the case of Labor, have they got a commitment from the party to pause current DAs in the system and to remove Byron Shire before the election?
As we are seeing in the US midterm elections in places like Mississippi, every vote counts, and there are plenty of candidates that have thrown their hat in the ring for the marginal state seat of Ballina.
Having a friend look around and see the beauty of the hinterland, the rivers of Bruns, to revel in the character of Mullumbimby, and appreciate the open sky of Byron Bay – it reminded me of how beautiful it really is here, and that some parts are worth keeping rather than selling to the highest bidder, presenting the most expensive tower. The real question is what are you prepared to do about it? It’s up to us to try our best to keep Byron’s character – no one else really cares that much.
Aslan Shand, editor
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