The closure of Mullumbimby Road to outbound traffic for several months has impacted many local businesses with a downturn in trade at a crucial time of year. It has also led to the closure of the famous Uncle Tom’s Pies on the corner of Gulgan Road and Mullumbimby Road.

Following the revelation that Byron Shire Council (BSC) staff had not followed through on the Mayoral Minute (resolution 25-454 on 9 October) to extend working hours on Mullumbimby Road to six days a week the Mullumbimby Chamber of Commerce (MCC) sought an ‘urgent meeting’ to ‘express our very serious concern about the devastating impact of the roadworks on Mullumbimby businesses’.

A large exclusive 39-large-lot greenfield development between Uncle Toms and Mullumbimby will be voted upon by councillors on Thursday, which has been the subject of countless stuff-ups by the applicant and Council planning staff.

With the ongoing uncertainty, lack of transparency, and botched public relations around Council’s roadworks for the main road into Mullumbimby from Uncle Toms and The Saddle Road, councillors last week unanimously adopted a mayoral minute to outline specific traffic plans and procedures around the project. 

Senior Council planning staff have admitted to providing wealthy developers with an advantage around a contentious large 38-lot proposal near the main road into Mullum from Uncle Toms.

Construction is expected to commence in December to improve the flood-prone Mullumbimby Road near Uncle Tom’s corner.

Traffic is currently backed up both coming into and leaving Mullumbimby at the Uncle Toms turn off