The plan for the monthly Byron Community Market to relocate to the Byron Bay town centre is now at the development application stage and on public exhibition.
“While this relocation will certainly change the look and feel of the centre of town one day a month, it is an opportunity to focus social and economic activity in the commercial centre of town, while relieving environmental pressure on the foreshore,” Byron Shire Mayor, Michael Lyon, said.
“What we heard from the community consultation in May last year is that there is strong support for the relocation but people are concerned about traffic, parking and local business impacts,” he said.
“We’ve spent the following months working on detailed layout and operational plans, looking closely at traffic, parking and waste management as well as how to maximise opportunities for town centre businesses to make the most of extra foot traffic past their shops on market days,” he said.
Feedback from the consultation has helped refine the market plan, including:
- Traffic management plan to manage Jonson St closure
- Reduction in stall numbers meaning no markets in Rails carpark
- Traffic controllers managing carpark access for customers, deliveries and local business parking
- Dedicated market stallholder parking
- Promotion of walking, cycling, and public transport to reduce reliance on cars
- Placement of stalls to direct exiting foot traffic towards existing town centre businesses
- Refinement of waste management to reduce waste generated by market stalls
Originally held at Butler Street Reserve, the monthly market was temporarily moved to the Byron foreshore in 2019 when work on the Byron Bay bypass started. Since then the site has been under a NSW EPA contamination investigation order, which is still active.
“We are conscious that there are some stallholders and community members who would like to see the community market return to Butler Street Reserve, but the EPA has only given approval for use of a small section of the site which would not fit the community market,” Mayor Lyon said.
“We are continuing to work with the EPA to try and return as much of the Reserve as possible to a mix of community uses including markets, parking and green spaces, however these investigations are ongoing and we need to work through the process with the EPA to determine if this can be done safely.
“If this proposal is approved, there will still be time needed to transition the markets across to their new site, and Council will be working closely with the market managers and local businesses to ensure everyone has plenty of notice before the first market on the new site,” he said.
“The activation of the town centre with the monthly market is aligned with the aspirations of the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan to reimagine the Byron town centre as a place that’s filled with life and people and activity,” said Mayor Lyon.
The closing date for public submissions on the market relocation DA is 6 February 2022.
The DA documentation can be found on Council’s DA tracker – . Application number 827 in 2021.
