Developer outlines village vision

A plan of the West Byron Project being proposed by a consortium for 108 hectares of land to the south of Ewingsdale Road, on the outskirts of Byron Bay.

DIVERSITY of housing is a high priority for a consortium proposing to develop a 108-hectare estate near Byron Bay.

The West Byron Project, on the south side of Ewingsdale Road, stretching from Belongil Creek to Sunnybrand Chickens is in its first stage, a State Significant Site (SSS) study, which is required by the NSW Department of Planning for a development of this size, said Steve Smith, lead consultant/planner for the project.

However, as many as 850 dwellings are envisaged in the latest plans for the development, which the public were invited to view at the Arts and Industrial Estate yesterday.

Based on demographic trends, that could mean housing for between 1200 and 1500 people, Mr Smith said.

Ideally, the dwellings would range from terraced houses on 200sqm lots, through dual occupancies, detached homes and adaptable housing thro-ugh to larger lots at some fringe areas.

However, design details are a long way off, Mr Smith said, and the current SSS process is about rezoning of the land.

Areas on the site outline are allocated for light industrial and mixed use, where it is hoped home industries and shops will spring up, to provide a degree of self-sufficiency within the complex and create a village atmosphere.

There is a 1ha community block in the middle of the site, which could contain tennis courts and other recreational facilities. Links with the larger shops in Sunrise will be provided by pedestrian crossings and bikeways across Ewingsdale Road.

Two roundabouts on the road will be necessary for the two access points, one at Bayshore Drive and the other at near Belongil Fields.

Traffic topped the list of public concerns about theestate, and the solution is an area where the project planners disagreed with Byron Shire Council.

Mr Smith said the project’s planners believed it was nec-essary for Byron Bay to have two bypasses – a longer one which has been shelved and the so-called ‘mini-bypass’, from Butler Street to Jonson Street, near the Marvell Street intersection.

It is hoped the study plans will go to the minister by the end of October.