Byron Bay locals unite against short stay rental cap

Byron Bay The Pass
By Alexandra Coulton


Locals and business owners in Byron Bay have banded together to challenge the Byron Shire Council’s push to cap short-stay home rentals to 90 days every year.

Tourism Research Australia’s national and international visitor survey shows the 90-day cap could see a loss of $267 million per annum from the local economy, threaten up to 1448 jobs and may have very little positive impact on housing stock or affordability in the region.

Byron Deserves Better spokesperson Sarah Workman said the group is challenging multiple false claims made by Byron Shire Council in its bid to push the policy through.

“This council either doesn’t understand basic numbers or it’s deliberately misleading ratepayers, and I don’t know which is worse,” Workman said.

“The Mayor claims his policy will immediately return over 1,500 homes to the permanent rental pool. That’s impossible as there are only 1,136 homes on the NSW short term registerin the Byron Bay area.

“Furthermore, the claim that these holiday homes will automatically come onto the rental market is false.

“We have picked this policy apart line by line and show exactly how embarrassingly flawed it is, and we now invite our community to see for themselves before it’s too late.”

According to the group, the Byron Shire Council and the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment commissioned a report at a of cost of $109,000 to ratepayers which strongly recommended against the 90-day cap due to the inevitable, detrimental impact it would have on the community.

Byron Shire Council opened its public consultation period on 1 September 2022, with Mayor Michael Lyon dismissing concerns on ABC Radio saying that those quoting economic damage from his policy are being “myopic”.

Workman said individuals, family owned business and other companies have had enough of a council that doesn’t listen and is determined to push its own agenda, regardless of the damage.

“The business community IS the community of Byron Shire,” she said.

”It’s vital we stand up and protect the future of the community and call out this deeply flawed, short-sighted policy.“

Norm Black, who started TripADeal in Byron Bay with his business partner Richard Johnston in 2011, said that as one of the biggest employers in the town, his perspective is clear.

“We do not believe this Council proposal will have a positive effect on housing availability or affordability,” he said.

“What it will do is have an adverse impact on tourism which the town’s employment is built on. This is a knee jerk response.

“They won’t get the outcome they are seeking but they will do a lot of damage to Byron Bay.”

Byron Bay Holiday Hire is a local family business established in the 1990s providing linen and essential holiday hire items to accommodation providers and tourists across the region from Ballina to New Brighton.

Reid Campbell and his family are worried not only for their family business, but the jobs of their staff.

“If Byron Shire Council goes through with this, it will be absolutely devastating to the region. There are a lot of jobs linked to accommodation providers and their visitors. Council needs to re-think this before it’s too late,” Campbell said.

Workman said any community representative showing common sense would scrap this process and start again.

“We’re encouraging everyone to stand up against the Mayor and his Council by visiting www.ByronDeservesBetter.com to fully understand what is going to happen here and to have your say before it’s too late.

“Every submission we receive before the closure date of 31 October 2022 will be sent directly to our Shire Councillors so they can see just how much damage this will cause.”

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

    Latest comments

    1. Whoops, article forgets to mention that Ms Workman reportedly works for local STR operator ‘A Perfect Stay’ (150 homes listed on Airbnb) and that it/ASTRA (Australian Short-Term Rental Assoc) have raised $40,000 to fight Byron Shire Council.
      Residential housing is for housing residents.
      #Right2Housing

airbnb byron bay holiday homes short-term rentals

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