Buyback homes in the Northern Rivers are set to get a new lease of life as part of a housing reuse initiative by NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) and Homes NSW.

Monday night saw Mullumbimby residents and businesses come out in force to attend a public meeting raising serious concerns about the viability, impact, and long-term outcomes for the town of the Byron Shire Council (BSC) sponsored development of the public car park at 57 Station Street at the entrance to the town.

A scheme created by Byron Council in a bid to generate more affordable housing in the shire looks set to get its first workout when a housing project comes before this week’s Council meeting.

With a recent media release by Council claiming Byron is now the hotspot for homelessness, Mayor Michael Lyon used the opportunity to pivot to his obsession: ‘Council is doing everything it can to generate more affordable housing’.

The Everybody’s Home campaign organisers say that more renters are at risk of plunging into housing stress in 2023 as they face steep rent rises when thousands of properties are wiped from an affordable housing scheme.