Voice of Byron

BYRON SHIRE Council has announced the first four Placemaking Seed Fund projects that will feature in the Byron town centre over coming months.

$60,000 in funding was awarded and will see Byron Bay town centre streets and foreshore be revitalised with theatre, entertainment, beautification and most importantly FUN!

Mayor Simon Richardson said the four projects have put people first when interacting with the Byron Bay town centre.

“Where Byron shines is that we have a great skeleton of laneways, arcades and open spaces which beckons opportunity.

“And when partnering spaces with our creative community, it’s a winning combination.

“It’s exciting times ahead and we thank our four creative teams for stepping up and giving back to our communities.

“Roundabout Theatre, Creative Road, Circus Arts and Popped Creative will showcase the very best of our town and we are very thankful for their time, energy and dedication,” he said.

Mayor Richardson highlighted that public spaces give people the opportunity to gather freely and activation is a way to put life back into our town.

“Through activation, the space is more than an area to simply walk through.

“It becomes a ‘place’ where you are happy to stop. To linger longer and connect with people and the surrounds.

“To fill a space positively, by its very nature, pushes out the potential for negative uses. 

“We saw it happen with the Safe Summer in the Bay and the Soul Street event which gave our town centre back to our families. 

“It’s been one of our most successful temporary activation events with a creative filter placed over a space and time that was unloved by many.  We grabbed a public space, activated it and returned the social benefits back to residents.

“The Placemaking Seed Fund will generate more opportunities for activation,” he revealed.

Byron Shire Council’s Placemaking Seed Fund, the first initiative to come out of the Byron Bay Town Centre Masterplan, called for local creatives, artists and entrepreneurs to reimagine the town centre as a place that connects the Byron community through activities, installations, events and pop-up spaces.

From close to 30 submissions, seven projects have been successful in attracting Council seed funding. A total of $60,000 in funding has been awarded under the Seed Fund.

Byron Shire Council’s tourism officer, Sarah Workman, said the quality of applications was high and will see the projects value add about $400,000 through sponsorship, volunteers and in-kind support.

There was a huge amount of interest in this program and it once again highlights the world-class creative talent that we have based in our own Shire

“Placemaking is about creating cool spaces for people to hang out and interact in.

“When held, our successful projects will be a great opportunity for our community to celebrate Byron’s identity and culture and showcase the range and quality of the Shire’s creative talent.

Successful projects included:

Roundabout Theatre – Pop Up Play Spaces

A play program of  ‘pop up’ theatre for five hours then they disappear; activating five specific sites in and around town.

Creative Road – Elysium

A beautification of Lawson Lane including legacy items of artwork, bespoke lighting and plantings.

Circus Arts –  Park & Fly

A community circus and performance space revitalising Denning Park and featuring a high flying trapeze.

Popped Creative – Popped

An urban laneway activation combining street art, audio-visual installations, pop-up hospitality and entertainment.

An additional three smaller-scale grass roots projects have also been successful and Council encourages residents and visitors to keep their eyes peeled for unexpected surprises popping up over the coming months.