[+] Boutique Beachside Byron Bay Apartment Plan Revealed

Brisbane-based developer Vitale Property Group has lodged plans for a luxury apartment project in Byron Bay, the NSW north coast playground of rich-listers and Hollywood celebrities. Vitale Property Group has put forward plans for a trio of three-storey boutique apartment buildings with 26 apartments each with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and three carparks. Byron Bay, which has a population of about 9000 and is visited by more than 2.7 million people annually, has led the way as NSW residential land values in the past year. Prices have surged by an unprecidented 25 per cent and is now attracting attention from high-profile residential , hotel and pub developers . The high-end developer, headed up by Chris, Letitia and Louka Vitale, amalgamated the 6000sq m oceanfront site between 2-4 Milton Street and 29 Shirley Street—the main road into Byron Bay from the north—in two off-market transactions at the turn of the year. In order to unlock the site, the group engaged Antonio Mercuri from GV Property Group to approach owners of the Backpackers Inn at 29 Shirley Street, the largest portion of the site at 4300 square metres. After Vitale Property Group successfully secured the property it was then presented with two additional properties—between 2-4 Milton Street—in an off-market campaign by First National Byron Bay. Pending approvals, the existing Backpackers Inn, which has been one of Australia’s favourite beachfront hostels for more than 25 years, will be demolished along with the two bungalows on Milton Street to make way for the apartment project. ▲ The majority of the site is zoned for medium density residential, suitable for delivery of infill residential development. Image: Nearmap Vitale Property Group managing director Chris Vitale told The Urban Developer the amalgamation had given its proposed development 75m of beach frontage, providing future residents with rare waterfront views just 400m from the centre of town. “The Byron Bay market is extremely tightly held and opportunities in which residential development of scale can be undertaken are very hard to come by,” Vitale said. “We have been actively looking for a project to undertake in Byron Bay for a long time. “Our strict criteria for the group’s next acquisition were that it needed to be beachfront and within a five-minute walk of the Byron town centre.” Vitale Property Group, established two decades ago in Brisbane, specialises in the high-end multi-residential sector and more recently has also broken into the hotel sector. The group has delivered 38 projects at a combined value of $2.5 billion in that time. Its $500-million hotel and apartment project at 48-58 The Esplanade in Burleigh Heads , being delivered alongside Ennismore Group—which operates more than 100 hotels and more than 150 restaurants and nightlife destinations, has broken ground and advancing on construction. Vitale said the group’s Byron Bay development, if realised, was the result of a high-quality design team, collaborating with architecture firm Hayball. The firm was tasked with creating a project that would achieve architectural excellence, resident privacy and high-end “hotel-inspired” amenity as well as industry leading sustainability initiatives. ▲ Most apartments will have three facades with living areas oriented in different direction to allow more privacy for the residents. Image: Hayball To heighten privacy between apartments and maximise common circulation, each of the buildings will have a dedicated entry with lift access. Apartments will vary between 200sq m and 650sq m with 2.7m ceiling heights as well as extensive open outdoor private spaces that can be screened in bad weather or hot days. Top-floor apartments will feature large living-room skylights. Each ground-floor apartment will have access to its own private pool and communal spaces while upper-floor apartments will benefit from a rooftop terrace directly accessible by private stairs. Courtyard spaces will range in size from 125 to 300sq m and balconies of 58 to 232 square metres. At the centre of the project will be 1390sq m of landscaped areas that will be informally divided into sub-spaces around a large pool and pathway network. Vitale said plans for Shirley Street had been considered in close collaboration with Byron Shire Council, providing close to 80 carparking spaces across its large basement level to ensure the project would have minimal, if any, impact on locals and onstreet parking. Vehicle access will be from Milton Street. The beachfront project will be sustainably focused as an 8 Star NatHers rated development, with no gas provided and built using sustainable materials. It also will include state-of-the-art building integrated photovoltaic panels on all glass balustrades, floor tiles and pavers. Each apartment will have access to its own EV charger while the project’s large central pool will be heated by electric heat pumps. A large Moreton Bay fig tree, at the centre of the site, will be retained as a feature of the development while 14 smaller native trees will be removed during construction and reinstated in the development’s proposed landscaping. The developer plans to continue to operate the Backpackers Inn and two neighbouring bungalows as short-term accommodation prior to receiving a development permit from council, at which stage it plans to begin construction. You are currently experiencing The Urban Developer Plus (TUD+), our premium membership for property professionals. Click here to learn more.

[+] Boutique Beachside Byron Bay Apartment Plan Revealed

Get the full story.

The Great Densification: Zoning Alone Won’t Fix Housing Crisis

Prefab, Modular, Ready-to-Go: Construction Innovation Evolves

High-Stakes Bid to Shape Adelaide’s Next Urban Precinct

Modular Hotel Rises on Queenstown’s Steepest Site

No Template, No Shortcuts: Divya Mehta on Leadership and Scale

Melbourne Long Lunch | Panel discussion with Tim Price, Jeremy McLeod, Katya Crema & Anne Michaels

A fireside chat with Troy Daffy | Managing Director, Silverstone Developments

Brisbane Long Lunch | Panel discussion with Rob Comiskey, Frank Licastro, Steve Laffey & Alexandra Stuart-Robertson

Sydney Long Lunch | Panel discussion with Jamie Durie, Jennifer Macquarie & Michael Romano

Developers to Watch: Projects and Players Shaping 2026

Momentum Building for Melbourne After a Tough Year

Mayd Group Settles Record $32.5m Deal for Kirra Site

The Great Densification: Zoning Alone Won’t Fix Housing Crisis

2026 Developer Outlook Lunch | Melbourne

2026 Developer Outlook Lunch | Brisbane

2026 Developer Outlook Lunch | Sydney