Green Light for Aureus estate: Council finalises plans for $25.1m Skennars Head hub

A promised sprawling shopping hub has been dramatically scaled back after a Northern Rivers council voted to replace half the retail space with townhouses.

Artists impression of Aureus Village Centre at Skennars Head, between Ballina and Lennox Head.

A much-anticipated development on the North Coast is set for another milestone change after the local council voted last week to finalise a prickly rezoning proposal.

The decision for Aureus Village Centre at Skennars Head, between Ballina and Lennox Head, paves the way for a scaled-back commercial precinct alongside new medium-density housing.

This marks a significant shift from the extensive retail hub originally promised for the coastal estate.

That and the new $25,154,033 price tag.

At Ballina council’s November Ordinary Meeting Councillors voted to amend the Local Environmental Plan, rezoning the southern portion of the designated commercial site from E1 Local Centre to R3 Medium Density Residential.

Aureus Village Centre at Skennars Head, between Ballina and Lennox Head.

This will halve the land available for shops, a move driven by changing economic conditions, according to council documents.

Originally zoned to accommodate a large neighbourhood centre with its own supermarket, a Retail Needs Assessment report presented to council showed the retail landscape had since radically changed thanks to the completion of nearby Epiq Marketplace and the rise of online shopping – making a supermarket at Aureus Village now unviable.

An artists impression of townhouses at Aureus, Skennars Head

17 submissions came before council during the project’s latest public exhibition earlier this year revealing residents’ frustration over the loss of their “promised” community hub.

There was also strong objections to the introduction of more townhouses.

Council said it is working with developer, Intrapac, and executed a voluntary planning agreement to allay residents’ concerns and safeguard community amenities.

This means Intrapac must get an occupation certificate for a minimum of 600 sqm of commercial floor space on the remaining commercial land before council can issue any certificates for the new residential section.

The new Aureus neighbourhood with the Village Centre site marked up.

This “shops first” strategy aims to stop the land from becoming residential only without the delivery of local services.

The developer has lodged a separate application with council which is currently under assessment for the commercial village.

The proposed design features two buildings facing the coastal parkland, containing a mix of food and beverage outlets, a small bar (“taphouse”), retail tenancies, and 17 shop-top apartments.

During the council meeting the rezoning was carried bar one from Councillor Erin Karsten as the sole vote against the finalisation.

The Planning Agreement ensures that the upcoming “Aureus Village” must become a physical reality before the developer can realise the value of the newly approved medium-density housing.

Originally published as Green Light for Aureus estate: Council finalises plans for $25.1m Skennars Head hub