Business strategies and research

We’ve considered a new way forward that brings together all our business sectors under one strategy.

The new Business, Industry and Visitor Economy Strategy will take relevant actions and information from both the draft Byron Shire Sustainable Visitation Strategy 2020-2030, which was informed by approximately 1500 pieces of engagement, the Tourism Resilience Discussion Paper and Enterprising Byron 2025.

The new strategy will outline the following:

• How we can support businesses.
• Key actions to support our established and emerging sectors.
• Issues, challenges, and opportunities for our local economy.

Including new research and engagement and State government strategies and policies we will create a new business, industry and visitor economy strategy for the next decade.

We undertook a survey requesting feedback from business owners in the Byron Shire.

The survey closed on 30 November 2022 and feedback will be reported to Council in February 2023.

Visit our Your Say page for more information.

 What will inform the new Strategy?

• Draft Sustainable Visitation Strategy (see separate 'drop-down')
• Enterprising Byron 2025 (see separate 'drop-down')
• Visitor Economy Strategy 2030
• Austrade Reimagining the Visitor Economy Discussion Paper
• Northern Rivers Regional Economic Development Strategy 2018-2022 
• Our Business Survey in 2017/ 2018
• Our Business Impacts, Resilience and Continuity Survey 2020
• Discussions with local Chambers of Commerce, agencies, industry and networking groups and other key stakeholders 
•  .id informed decisions demographic resources
• Australian Business Register and Tourism Research Australia.

To support business, Byron Shire Council also prepares land use growth management strategies as below. These strategies guide Council’s decision-making and key actions to manage future growth of in our Shire.

• Business and Industrial Lands Strategy for retail, commercial and industrial land.
• Rural Land Use Strategy for agriculture and other rural activities.
• Residential Strategy for urban housing land and delivery.

Northern Rivers Employment and Industrial Land Business Survey

Council is also part of a joint project with neighbouring Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Ballina Shire, Byron Shire, Clarence Valley, Kyogle, Lismore, Richmond Valley and Tweed Shire, funded by the Northern Rivers Joint Organisation and RDA Northern Rivers.

The project will undertake an audit of industrial and employment lands for the ‘Northern Rivers’ between September and December 2022.

This audit includes a survey to gain the perspective of both local businesses and those that may be interested in establishing in the Northern Rivers. Responses to the survey will be confidential and used to inform the employment land study being prepared by HillPDA.

See the HillPDA website to learn more and complete the survey

Survey closes 2 December 2022. To discuss the project further, you can email submissions@hillpda.com

Our Economic Development Strategy, Enterprising Byron 2025 promotes a vision that will set the tone for decision making, entrepreneurship and leadership for the Byron Shire economy to 2025 – our vision is for:

“a resilient and diverse economy providing for our community in a sustainable manner.”

The Enterprising Byron 2025 Action Plan details the implementation of the Strategy in partnership with the local community, business and industry, regional stakeholders and State and Federal Government agencies.

• View Economic Development Strategy, Enterprising Byron 2025(PDF, 2MB)
• View the Action Plan Enterprising Byron 2025(PDF, 132KB)

The Sustainable Visitation Strategy (SVS) was prepared pre COVID-19. It did not consider the impacts on the industry and the resulting shift in business needs and priorities. 

The SVS will be noted as a point in time document. Moving forward, the relevant actions and information from both the SVS and Enterprising Byron 2025 along with new research and engagement will be brought together to create a whole of business industry strategy.

View the draft Sustainable Visitation Strategy(PDF, 2MB) and the Tourism Resilience Discussion Paper(PDF, 63KB) that included the impacts of the global pandemic on the visitor economy.

To assist our community, community groups, business leaders and investors to be more informed about Byron Shire we provide access to a range of tools that include data from the 2016 Census:

• Economic Profile
• Community Profile
• Social Atlas

View the Byron Shire Economics Profile

Survey for Flood impacted businesses 2022

To better understand the implications of recent flood events on businesses and various industry sectors in Byron Shire, Council conducted a survey from Thursday 7 April to Wednesday 4 May 2022.

Download the survey for flood impacted businesses key findings report(PDF, 902KB)

Business Impacts, Resilience and Continuity Survey 2020

To better understand the implications of COVID-19 on businesses and various industry sectors in Byron Shire, Council conducted a fortnightly survey from May - July 2020.

Download the Business Impacts, Resilience and Continuity Survey 2020 key findings report(PDF, 195KB)

The Byron Shire Economic Health Check Report is a comprehensive analysis of the local economy, covering our current economic position, recent trends, drivers of recent change, strategic sectors and a localised strength, opportunity, weaknesses, and threat (SWOT) analysis. It is useful for assessing the current state of play in our local economy and a crucial step in the development of a business industry and visitor economy strategy. 

.id (informed decisions) presented the Byron Shire Economic Health Check Report to the Strategic Business Advisory Committee on 30 June 2022.

Download the Byron Shire Economic Health Check Report by .id (informed decisions)(PDF, 2MB)

Business Survey 2017 to 2018

We conducted research in 2017 to understand the current and future needs of our local businesses. More than 1000 businesses participated in the online survey between September and December 2017.

Download the Business Survey 2017 to 2018 report(PDF, 4MB)