Byron councillors voted to support a 10 home, 10 pool development even though they were still waiting on more advice

One councillor wanted to press pause on their decision until “the proper checks and balances which … the community expect”.

Byron Shire Council is considering a development application for a 10-dwelling development and strata subdivision for 6 Keats St, Byron Bay.

A majority of Byron Shire councillors have voted to approve a proposal for a 10 home development with 10 pools in Byron Bay.

They had deferred their decision on the development application at the May planning meeting, with a view to have more information from the council’s ecologist by the May 27 ordinary meeting two weeks later.

Although that ecologist was on annual leave for most of the interim and couldn’t provide more advice in the time give, councillors opted to vote on the $5.46 million development, at 7 Keats Street, anyway.

Mayor Michael Lyon commended the applicants for working with the council “in good faith”.

“There isn’t, according to (their) ecologist … any significant impact on the wetland,” Mr Lyon said.

Byron Shire Council is considering a development application for a 10-dwelling development and strata subdivision for 6 Keats St, Byron Bay.

Along with a range of other consent conditions, he said they had included one specifically preventing property owners on the site from leasing out their homes as short term rental accommodation.

Councillor Basil Cameron said his concerns were “quite resolvable” but he wanted the council’s own ecologist to assess a new report form the proponent’s ecologist, sent to the council days before the meeting.

“I’d love to be able to support this but I’m not going to be able to support something … that has been done without the proper checks and balances, which is what the community expects of us,” Mr Cameron said.

Deputy mayor Sarah Ndiaye acknowledged the council’s own ecologist “had the guts to say … it could be better”.

Byron Shire Council is considering a development application for a 10-dwelling development and strata subdivision for 6 Keats St, Byron Bay.

In a report before the council, staff said the proponent had initially provided “no information … to demonstrate the adequacy of (the) buffer in protecting and ideally enhancing the adjacent coastal wetland”.

Ms Ndiaye ultimately supported the DA.

“I think we’re ending up with something that’s a lot better than what could be on that site,” Ms Ndiaye said.

“I hope we see a community of locals moving and living in there and enjoying life by the pool where they look after the interface between their property and the wetland in a better way than it has been.”

Byron Shire Council is considering a development application for a 10-dwelling development and strata subdivision for 6 Keats St, Byron Bay.

In his final remarks, the mayor acknowledged the point raised by Mr Cameron and suggested the situation called for “a bit of reflection from staff”.

“I do accept the point that was raised,” Mr Lyon said.

“We were the ones that have asked for this. It probably in theory isn’t that hard to get everyone on board in terms of our own staff.

“But we’re also responsible in terms of when staff go on leave (and) our time frames.

“We could have done a bit better there.”

All councillors but Mr Cameron (and Paul Spooner, who was absent) voted to approve deferred commencement of the development, subject to a range of conditions.