Affordable and diverse housing options have been hot topics in the Byron Shire for several years, but the 2022 floods highlighted the problem according to Mayor Michael Lyon.
Moving forward after the floods, and to comply with housing targets set by the NSW Government, council staff are refreshing the shire’s Residential Strategy, a document that provides the vision and framework for how council intends to provide future housing over the next 20 years.
The first step in this process is the development of a Housing Options Paper that identifies the areas of the shire that are suitable for residential development.
“The NSW Government recently reviewed its housing targets, and it is council’s job to make sure that we have the planning frameworks in place that will allow for residential development to happen,” Mayor Lyon said.
“Housing is the number one issue for our community and lack of affordability and supply is having a massive impact on the social fabric of our shire as well as the economy,” he said.
“We have the highest rate of rough sleepers in NSW; we have a community still reeling from the floods; we have people who cannot find affordable long-term housing and we have businesses who can’t find staff because workers can’t afford to live here.
“This refresh of the Residential Strategy is a step forward in the long-term planning for population growth – put simply – where people are going to live,” Mayor Lyon said.
The Housing Options Paper sets out where in the shire housing will be delivered, including present and future land release areas and infill development.
“Not only do we have a responsibility to ensure we are delivering housing for our community into the future, but we also need to make sure we do this in a way that respects the natural environment.
“We also have to consider and respect the identity and character of our towns and villages,” Mayor Lyon said.
The Housing Options Paper will be presented to Council on 28 September and go will on exhibition for community comment in early October.
“How to fix the housing crisis is a question being echoed across all levels of government and as a Council we need to be leading this conversation to ensure we deliver the best solutions for our community,” Mayor Lyon said.
