2481 News
Community News
Issue No.1 A local round up of neighbourhood news & views. Featuring Suffolk Park, Sunrise, Broken Head and Byron Bay.
Suffolk Park:
A new chapter for the SPPA
The Suffolk Park Progress Association (SPPA) was saved from dissolution at its AGM on November 19 when new members filled the local hall and voted to continue the association, which has been successfully running for 65 years. A new committee was elected, marking a fresh chapter for the group.
Rebuilding community trust
The new committee’s immediate focus is bridging the divide that emerged in Suffolk Park over the proposed traffic lights at the intersection of Broken Head Road and Clifford Street, near the Suffolk Park Hotel, Spar and bakery.
Earlier this year, council approved the lights without adequate community consultation, creating tension between those seeking a quick fix to peak-hour traffic congestion and those opposed, citing traffic engineering reports that showed the lights were not the best or safest solution.
Following sustained advocacy from the Keep the Flow in Suffo campaign, council agreed to abandon the traffic lights in favour of pedestrian crossings and a small roundabout. The SPPA will continue working with council to ensure this outcome is delivered.
In good news
The Tallow Creek footbridge has been repaired by Council just in time for the summer break, the structure has been temporarily strengthened to make it safe for public use. Approval for a new bridge and construction is more than 12 months away. We will keep you posted!
Meanwhile, beautiful Linda Vidler Park—named in honour of Delta Kay’s mother—has recently been upgraded thanks to a $200,000 contribution from the NSW Government’s Local Small Commitments Allocation program, matched by $200,000 from Byron Shire Council’s developer contributions fund. New pathways, benches, a picnic table, signage and thoughtfully landscaped native plantings with feature rocks are now in place for locals and visitors to enjoy, with a shelter beside the community gardens scheduled for construction in the new year.
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Broken Head:
A focus on localisation
Members of the Broken Head community have formed the Community Resilience Team (CRT) to strengthen local preparedness and support during emergencies. The group has also established an incorporated charity, The Broken Head Society, enabling grant applications and long-term community projects. Everyone is encouraged to join and connect via email: brokenheadsociety@gmail.com
*A WhatsApp Emergency group as well as the general community group are also available.
Localised Response, Connected Networks
Broken Head is now divided into six localities to ensure targeted support in times of disaster. The CRT is linked with other local teams through the Byron Community Resilience Network and the Byron Community HUBs. Members have completed Red Cross training, with more sessions planned. Grant funding has supported the purchase of a Starlink system, solar panels, a 2kW power bank, and a defibrillator. Ongoing work includes area mapping, radio training, and applications for UHF radios. All equipment is housed at Broken Head Hall, where monthly meetings are held.
The Broken Head Hall committee do incredible work maintaining this much-loved space. Recent improvements include an insulated ceiling and this year the committee was successful in a council grant for outdoor safety lighting for the car park area.
Roads, Safety & Local Challenges
Stage 1 of the Broken Head Reserve Road upgrade was completed in 2022, hopefully pay-parking—scheduled for installation in December 2025 will help to fund Stage 2 works. The community remains vigilant about illegal camping, fire risk, litter, and wildlife protection. Irresponsible driving continues to harm local fauna, and residents encourage visitors and locals to treat the area with care.
Community Advocacy
Broken Head is represented at the Byron Council Community Round Table and the monthly CABs meeting by Alison Drover. Key priorities include tackling illegal camping and parking, and promoting education around living respectfully with our natural environment.
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Sunrise, IGA.
Nothing a string of fairy lights can’t fix.
Sunrise:
Round and round we go
One of the biggest frustrations for Sunrise locals right now is the condition of Sunrise Boulevard. What began as a quiet residential street has slowly morphed into a busy access route for Elements of Byron, the Habitat precinct, and the Arts & Industrial Estate. In short, it’s become a full-blown rat run.
The surge in traffic, including heavy vehicles and service trucks — is far beyond what the road was ever designed to handle. The result? Potholes, uneven asphalt, poor drainage, and a growing list of safety concerns for anyone walking or cycling through the area. Residents say maintenance simply hasn’t kept up with the demand.
Possible solutions on the table include: Reducing the speed limit to 30 km/h to calm traffic and put the focus back on pedestrian safety. Installing chicanes to introduce more turns and discourage drivers from using the street as a shortcut.
Roundabout Works Update
Mini celebrations occurred when the Bayshore Drive Roundabout finally reopened to light traffic in both directions (heavy vehicles will still need to access Byron Bay Fair via Sunrise Boulevard). A small miracle for businesses in the Habitat precinct, some might survive the summer season.
Construction on the new roundabout has now officially paused for the Christmas break (20 December – 4 January) and will ramp back up in the new year. Originally planned for completion in late 2025, the project hit delays due to stormwater drainage issues and challenges with the high-water table. The revised completion date is now March 2026 — weather permitting.
This project highlights the wider condition of Byron Shire’s road network and the community’s long-term infrastructure needs. The overall feeling from the Byron Bay community is that Council would be wise to put the SEP on hold and prioritise road maintenance and the expansion of pedestrian and cycling pathways.
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Christmas Day, Byron Bay 2025.
It’s the beaches and the natural environment that brings people here … does anyone really want a Special Entertainment Precinct in this town?
Byron Bay:
A year of wins, woes & what-ifs
One of the brightest moments for both locals and visitors this year has been the restoration of the Sandhills Wetlands Reserve—a landscape once destroyed by sand mining in the 1960s. Its revival is a genuine win for the community.
As part of the broader drainage project designed to reduce the impacts and frequency of flooding in Byron Bay, the site now features three large retention ponds that catch stormwater from the surrounding hills before slowly releasing it toward Belongil Creek. With walking paths cutting the through from the rec fields to the beach front - it’s a natural reprieve for native habitat and humans alike.
And yes, visitors could learn all about this if we had a cultural precinct, visitor centre or museum :) It seems odd that Byron Shire Council did not have the foresight or management in place to retain a visitors centre in the town, despite an offer from an E- Bike company to keep the office open free of charge if they could have their bikes available ? If you have any info around the how and why of the closure we would be keen to explore this further. Brunswick Heads was allocated $45,000 in March 2025 and and requested another $45,000 in November to keep their own Brunswick Heads Visitor Centre open…Maybe if you don’t ask you don’t get.
For a place that hosts upwards of 950,000 day visitors and more than 1.5 million overnighters it seems like pretty poor management.
The Special Entertainment Precinct (SEP) has dominated local conversation throughout 2025—fuelled by pages of letters in The Echo and an energetic FB spin-off. Proposed by the Mayor and backed by Byron Shire Council, the SEP has consumed significant time and resources from residents, staff and Councillors alike. Many in the community can’t help but imagine what might have been achieved if all that energy had gone into something the town actually wants: a cultural precinct, an arts hub, a street festival, or even reinventing the Byron Bay Visitor Centre.
*The SEP is not a done deal. The current proposal will go on public exhibition in February, with Councillors expected to vote whether to proceed (with a SEP Trial) in March or April.
Another flashpoint this year was Council’s proposed upgrade of the Apex Park amenities. The plan for 13 all-gender toilets would extend into the footprint of the Surf Club, prompting the Club to raise concerns about emergency access. Discussions between the parties are still underway.
Uneven Compliance and Developments Pushing the Building Height
Local small businesses have faced a rough run—weathering Covid, drainage works, and multiple development sites that swallow parking and add to an already congested town centre. As if that weren’t enough, Council has taken the unusual step of declaring A-frame signs “inappropriate signage”, sparking a “PLEASE EXPLAIN” petition set to circulate over Summer. Keep an eye out for this issue.
The rejection by BSC of an overly ambitious DA in Marvell St was widely welcomed *with a height of 14.95-metre a major sticking point for Byron Bay. When and where it reappears—at Council or in the Land & Environment Court—we will keep you posted on this one.
But one can’t help ask: what happened to the much-touted Byron Bay Masterplan? For a town with global popularity and no shortage of wealthy landholders, it’s fair to wonder why we aren’t overflowing with world-class facilities, curated coastal amenity blocks, funky street furniture, or philanthropic backers lining up to support public art and events. Instead, it feels like the town is in a right royal snafu. We look forward to unpacking these issues and more in 2026.
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A Note to end the year on … A Collective Effort by a small team.
All of the work for this platform is volunteer-driven, with one shared goal: keeping the 2481 postcode connected and informed. Please get in touch if you have a story, or would like to contribute any news ~ especially from Myocum, Tyagrah, Ewingsdale or Skinners Shoot etc…