Byron Shire Council is asking residents to comment on its Housing Options Paper, which is currently on exhibition at www.byron.nsw.gov.au until November 6.
It proposes ‘a new target to deliver 4,522 homes’ by 2041.
The majority of land put forward by Council staff for rezoning in the options paper are in Mullum and Bruns, some of which is considered high value agricultural land.
I respectfully submit that this options paper is not a fit for purpose document for public exhibition, and should not proceed in its present form, owing to the following:
No 2022 flood data
Most importantly, Byron Shire Council have not asked the NSW government to inform its community with the 2022 flood data – which is yet to be released – within this options paper. While staff say, ‘future rezoning of land will be subject to detailed site analysis that will include consideration of flooding’, it is a waste of time of time and money to pursue land rezonings that are later found to be flood-prone.
Reconstruction Authority
NSW government corporation, Reconstruction Authority, is the latest in a long list of bloated, unaccountable corporations.
Like the previous actors they have replaced, they ignore media questions around transparency and process, and have failed to supply the public with clear and equitable plans for the future of the region.
Given they are co-ordinating much of the rezoning/development, residents should be very wary as to whether the Reconstruction Authority will act in good faith in the future.
Infrastructure capacity
On page 14 of the options paper, the assumed increased dwelling yield of 979 homes on new release land and 227 homes from infill in Mullum was, ‘subject to a satisfactory resolution being achieved in regards to the overall Mullumbimby water supply capacity constraints and permanent Rous Water supply connection’.
Up to 800 dwellings are slated for Saddle Road, and 500 for Bangalow.
The Byron CBD would also be subject to increased density and height limits, but there are no details.
Much more information needs to be supplied to provide confidence that this level of development is sustainable.
‘Affordable housing’
It’s unclear how Council’s Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme will genuinely address those who cannot afford to live here. It is well documented that the metrics around ‘affordable housing’ are broken, and the solution is social housing investment. Affordable housing is a myth.
Biodiversity hotspot
As we have seen with the Wallum development in Brunswick Heads, councillors dropped the ball on being informed around its environmental significance and the outcome. They did the same in 2022 with Linnaeus Estate in Broken Head.
According to www.epa.nsw.gov.au, ‘Biodiversity on the north coast of NSW is among the highest of any areas in Australia’.
If we want to maintain this level of biodiversity, councillors need to adequately instruct Council staff about community expectations, and also adequately inform the community.
Hans Lovejoy, Echo editor
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. 
