West Byron
BEGA VALLEY COUNCIL - YUIN NATION
DEVELOPMENT PROFILE
West Byron Site split into two DA’s; one from Villaworld/Tower Holdings and other a group of ‘local landowners’ called Site R&D.
Having bought the land located off Ewingsdale Road in 2014, Developer Tower Holdings plan to develop ‘Harvest Estate’ over a 61 hectare block comprising 149 dwellings built by either Brighton Homes or Metricon. This was reduced from a 300 lot after the plan by Tower Holdings/Villaworld was rejected by the Byron Shire.
Site R&D plans to subdivide 162 lots including 25 ‘super-lots’, 20 of which are indicated to subdivide into 208 smaller lots.
The Northern Rivers Planning Panel (NRPP) had previously rejected the application in 2019 after deeming the area unsuitable for proposed development due to identified constraints of acid sulphate soils, bushfire vegetation, flood-prone land, high environmental value vegetation, koala habitat and threatened flora and fauna.
WHERE IS IT UP TO?
In March 2022 the NSW Land and Environment Court determined in favour of the site development. The first release of Tower Holding’s ‘Harvest Estate’ lots are currently for sale/auction.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
- Area Impacted: 108 hectares
- Flood-prone site: The development land is situated on flood-prone land that has recently experienced extreme levels of flooding, a key reason behind the DA’s rejection in 2019.
- Housing affordability: No guarantee the development will offer affordable housing
- Strain on road infrastructure: No plans to update road infrastructure to accommodate additional residents.
HABITAT FOR:
- Koala
- Wallum froglet
- Wallum Sedge-Frog
WHO’S FIGHTING IT?
- Byron Residents’ Group
- Byron Bay Vision