Byron Shire Draft Residential Strategy

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The draft residential strategy was on display from
28 August to 11 October 2019.

Consultation has now concluded. We thank you for your contribution.

Feedback is being reviewed with a report to Council scheduled for early 2020.


Our draft residential strategy is a 20 year policy framework for the provision of future residential housing in Bangalow, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Mullumbimby, New Brighton, Ocean Shores, South Golden Beach, Suffolk Park and Sunrise. Policy 3 is a great place to find out how we plan to manage growth and change responsibly in your neighbourhood.

The strategy is important to everyone in the community: families, singles, home-owners, renters, share-households, business owners, future residents, people who live here and work somewhere else and people who work in the Shire and live somewhere else.

Some 'stories' to help you understand the strategy's purpose

Charlotte is an energetic 73-year-old woman with a friendly smile and a sharp wit. For the last two decades, she’s been living in an intentional farming community called “Chance Farm” with other individuals and families in the Byron hinterland.

But recently, she realized something: She’s getting older. Though she loves the farm, living far apart on separate acreage means that neighbours don’t see each other that often and can’t easily help each other in a pinch. Caring for the large piece of property is getting tougher, too.

So she and some friends have begun discussing building a new community— in town close to services -where houses could be built closer together, more activities will be shared, and neighbours will grow food and maintain their lifestyle, while caring for one another.

It turns out that Charlotte and her friends are not alone in their needs or aspirations for greater housing choice, diversity and equity.

Rojo and Beth are local workers. Beth a teacher in the community school, and Rojo who is studying acoustic engineering at the local college, picks up work part-time in the local music scene . They, like Charlotte, have been connecting with friends, discussing their current plight of having to commute long distances to work and study, because they can’t afford to rent, let alone buy, in Byron Shire. They are looking to set up a housing cooperative, pool their resources, buy some land and owner build smaller more compact greener homes, to keep out the middle man as Rojo puts it.

The issue they all face however is where to find the suitable land and how will the community react to doing something a little different.

Then there’s Dennis, a volunteer for meals on wheels, who, like Charlotte, is also feeling his age. He lives on his own in a four bedroom house with a large yard he does not use, but has to upkeep. Dennis, like his neighbour would like to downsize, free up the capital in his home and maybe get away more often to visit the grandkids. He is acutely aware however, that as it stands, to downsize he would probably have to leave the community in which he has spent his life. As a retired urban designer he loves the character of his street and toyed with the idea that the street could provide more homes and keep the local character that makes it special.

Could a place like Dennis’ street provide opportunities for all three options to be realised?

The strategy promotes opportunities to manage residential land and development to support community wellbeing and a desire to leave a better place for future generations.

Reading the Strategy

The strategy can be read as one complete document, or in sections:

Section 1 contains the introduction, executive summary and information about our residents, households and housing types

Section 2 is the strategy vision

Section 3 contains 4 policies to deliver the vision

  • Policy 1: Providing suitable land for housing - the direction Council is taking in providing land for housing – how Dennis’ land may be suitable for future housing.
  • Policy 2: Improving housing choice, diversity and equity how we are planning to make it easier for our residents to find a type of house that fits better with their lifestyle and needs – where Charlotte’s, Rojo and Beth’s ideas of ‘doing something different’ are considered.
  • Policy 3: Housing that reflects the 'local' in our places - how we will shape our neighbourhoods to capture what makes one neighbourhood distinct from another in the way it ‘looks and feels’.
  • Policy 4: Make our neighbourhoods local - the direction Council is taking on how to make our dwellings homes again, in relation to short term rental accommodation.

Section 4 lists the tools for implementing the strategy with a table of actions from the above policies. Each action includes a corresponding measure and indicative timeframe (subject to budget allocation) for implementing the strategy (monitoring and review)

Section 5 contains key housing terminologies and definitions

Appendices

The draft residential strategy was on display from
28 August to 11 October 2019.

Consultation has now concluded. We thank you for your contribution.

Feedback is being reviewed with a report to Council scheduled for early 2020.


Our draft residential strategy is a 20 year policy framework for the provision of future residential housing in Bangalow, Byron Bay, Brunswick Heads, Mullumbimby, New Brighton, Ocean Shores, South Golden Beach, Suffolk Park and Sunrise. Policy 3 is a great place to find out how we plan to manage growth and change responsibly in your neighbourhood.

The strategy is important to everyone in the community: families, singles, home-owners, renters, share-households, business owners, future residents, people who live here and work somewhere else and people who work in the Shire and live somewhere else.

Some 'stories' to help you understand the strategy's purpose

Charlotte is an energetic 73-year-old woman with a friendly smile and a sharp wit. For the last two decades, she’s been living in an intentional farming community called “Chance Farm” with other individuals and families in the Byron hinterland.

But recently, she realized something: She’s getting older. Though she loves the farm, living far apart on separate acreage means that neighbours don’t see each other that often and can’t easily help each other in a pinch. Caring for the large piece of property is getting tougher, too.

So she and some friends have begun discussing building a new community— in town close to services -where houses could be built closer together, more activities will be shared, and neighbours will grow food and maintain their lifestyle, while caring for one another.

It turns out that Charlotte and her friends are not alone in their needs or aspirations for greater housing choice, diversity and equity.

Rojo and Beth are local workers. Beth a teacher in the community school, and Rojo who is studying acoustic engineering at the local college, picks up work part-time in the local music scene . They, like Charlotte, have been connecting with friends, discussing their current plight of having to commute long distances to work and study, because they can’t afford to rent, let alone buy, in Byron Shire. They are looking to set up a housing cooperative, pool their resources, buy some land and owner build smaller more compact greener homes, to keep out the middle man as Rojo puts it.

The issue they all face however is where to find the suitable land and how will the community react to doing something a little different.

Then there’s Dennis, a volunteer for meals on wheels, who, like Charlotte, is also feeling his age. He lives on his own in a four bedroom house with a large yard he does not use, but has to upkeep. Dennis, like his neighbour would like to downsize, free up the capital in his home and maybe get away more often to visit the grandkids. He is acutely aware however, that as it stands, to downsize he would probably have to leave the community in which he has spent his life. As a retired urban designer he loves the character of his street and toyed with the idea that the street could provide more homes and keep the local character that makes it special.

Could a place like Dennis’ street provide opportunities for all three options to be realised?

The strategy promotes opportunities to manage residential land and development to support community wellbeing and a desire to leave a better place for future generations.

Reading the Strategy

The strategy can be read as one complete document, or in sections:

Section 1 contains the introduction, executive summary and information about our residents, households and housing types

Section 2 is the strategy vision

Section 3 contains 4 policies to deliver the vision

  • Policy 1: Providing suitable land for housing - the direction Council is taking in providing land for housing – how Dennis’ land may be suitable for future housing.
  • Policy 2: Improving housing choice, diversity and equity how we are planning to make it easier for our residents to find a type of house that fits better with their lifestyle and needs – where Charlotte’s, Rojo and Beth’s ideas of ‘doing something different’ are considered.
  • Policy 3: Housing that reflects the 'local' in our places - how we will shape our neighbourhoods to capture what makes one neighbourhood distinct from another in the way it ‘looks and feels’.
  • Policy 4: Make our neighbourhoods local - the direction Council is taking on how to make our dwellings homes again, in relation to short term rental accommodation.

Section 4 lists the tools for implementing the strategy with a table of actions from the above policies. Each action includes a corresponding measure and indicative timeframe (subject to budget allocation) for implementing the strategy (monitoring and review)

Section 5 contains key housing terminologies and definitions

Appendices