Byron Bay Foreshore Redevelopment

Australia has no hotter property than the Byron Bay Foreshore—except maybe the Bondi Beach promenade. Byron Council has plans to upgrade this choice piece of coastal real estate, but it’s not easy. It is asking for feedback on its plans to upgrade this immaculate beach stretch, the most Instagrammed place in Oz.

The plans are pretty modest and are just a facelift when so much more could be done. A tidy-up is probably all that can be achieved under the circumstances. A few years ago, a community consultation process was initiated. The most vocal vociferous group were surfers who wanted to maintain the car park and turnaround so you could drive through in the morning and scope out where there was a wave. I am personally torn as I do this a lot myself, but at the same time, I understand that to make this foreshore even remotely aesthetic or functional, this car park has to go.

If we were a lot more ambitious, the community would be looking at combining the car park behind the top Jonson Street shops with the First Sun Caravan Park (also owned by the council). Then, a proper promenade and retaining wall could be completed, and BSC with restaurants, shops, retail, accom and parking would be a cash cow for the community and council’s coffers.

It is easy to scratch the surface of paradise to find problems. Please complete the survey and have your say!