Holiday Letting in Byron Shire (Updated January 2007)
Byron Shire Council is developing a new Local Environmental Plan (LEP) for the entire Shire based on the State Governments Standard LEP template. A draft of this document will not be available until after June 2007.
There is concern about the impact that unregulated holiday letting is having on residential amenity and on the cost of housing in the shire, particularly in Byron Bay.
Council convened a Holiday Letting Forum in Byron Bay in October 2005 in an endeavour to engage the tourist accommodation industry and resident groups in examining possible solutions to various issues relating to holiday letting.
Participants at the Forum proposed a number of options relating to holiday letting. The options brought forward from the forum were considered by Council in April 2006 and again in November 2006 as part of the Council Report on the submissions to the Draft LEP for the Byron Bay Area. Council is yet to resolve a position on how holiday letting in residential areas will be addressed in the new Shire-wide LEP.