NSW Police, Fire and Rescue to share new $28 million emergency services precinct in Byron Bay
A $28 million police and firefighter precinct has been announced for the heart of Byron Bay to make sure emergency services can keep up with growing demand.
Byron Shire
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A $28 million police and firefighter precinct has been announced for the heart of Byron Bay to make sure emergency services can keep up with growing demand.
The precinct is set to be constructed on a 6500sq m section of Crown land within the Sandhills Estate, on the eastern side of Gilmore Crescent in Byron.
NSW Police and Fire and Rescue NSW will get updated facilities and the NSW government states the “much-needed” precinct will address the “growing demands of the local community, where substantial population increase has outgrown the capacity of existing emergency service facilities”.
In July 2022, $20m was set aside to rebuild the Byron Bay Police Station on its current Shirley St site, but size constraints and heritage considerations made redevelopment impossible.
Fire and Rescue NSW has been allocated an additional $8m for the local station on Kingsley St to be upgraded to allow both services to be based together in the precinct.
The facility’s construction is expected to start in early 2026 and finish by the end of 2027.
The precinct will be flood resilient and improve connectivity with nearby Tennyson St which is set to be extended for improved access to police and fire vehicles.
Byron Bay Fire and Rescue Station Captain Gary Speers said a station upgrade had been on the agenda for almost 10 years.
“The building has been a long time coming. We’ve been operating out of a small station now for – well it was built in 1978, and the town has grown a lot. To accommodate the growth it’s important for the fire station to grow as well,” he said.
“Even back then we had 12 members and now we have 19.”
Mr Speers was impressed they were able to get highly sought-after Crown land for the precinct.
“We know Byron Bay does not have much available land and if it’s available it’s very expensive,” he said.
Mr Speers said Byron’s community often doubled when holiday season arrived which means local emergency services need to be better equipped to handle the increased demand.
“When people come on holidays they sometimes leave their common sense behind,” he said.
The Sandhills Estate, a 19 hectare area adjacent to the Byron Bay CBD, was historically used for sand mining and is now the focus of extensive planning and redevelopment.
The site for the precinct was secured through Aboriginal Land Agreements (ALAs) negotiated by Crown Lands, the NSW Aboriginal Land Council, and the Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council, settling outstanding land claims and interests.
Police and Counter-terrorism Minister Yasmin Catley said the police and firefighter collaboration would strengthen the organisations’ capability to serve and protect the community.
“Police and emergency services go above and beyond to make our community a safer place. This project is a major investment to ensure they have the resources and facilities they need to continue this important work,” she said.
“There’s never been a better time to join the NSW Police Force.”
Lismore MP and NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery Janelle Saffin said co-locating the police and firefighter facilities on Crown land made perfect sense considering future population growth and the Byron Shire’s constant influx of visitors.
“This should be the model for future developments where our emergency services agencies outgrow existing sites and need purpose-built upgrades across the Northern Rivers region, and beyond,” she said.
Ballina MP Tamara Smith congratulated Byron Detective Inspector Matt Keogh, Fire and Rescue Superintendent Greg Lewis, and Byron Shire Council GM Mark Arnold for backing groundwork on the project.
Police Commissioner Karen Webb said the project would “not only ensure rapid responses to emergencies but will also support general duties policing and crime prevention taskings, with better operational and staff facilities”.
She said the modern facilities and centralised location would mean “better connectivity and mean we are better able to ensure the safety and wellbeing of both locals and visitors”.
The precinct follows police recently securing a historic pay agreement.
Recruits studying to be officers are also being paid and offered work in or near their home towns when possible after graduating from the Goulburn Police Academy.
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