Hemmes Seeks Approval for Completed Work at Byron Bay

Merivale is progressing the latest stage of its Byron Bay presence, with owner Justin Hemmes seeking approval to formalise alterations already carried out at the former Cheeky Monkey’s site.

An amended development application, lodged via Hemmes Property, details completed structural and fitout works and locks in the final layout for two new family-friendly venues—Totti’s Byron and Jimmy’s Falafel—across 111-115 Jonson Street.

The amendment enables the Byron Shire Council to review the completed layout and set operating conditions. 

Council documents said the proposal was the “formalisation of works undertaken without consent, and alterations and additions to existing restaurant and commercial premises involving two (2) restaurants”.

No change was proposed to the building’s external form or commercial use.

The plans document internal configuration, including kitchen and bar layouts, staff movement, storage, waste handling and back-of-house configuration. 

▲ The combined 111-115 Jonson Street site at Byron Bay, including the former Cheeky Monkey’s building, now subject to an amended development application.

The 1705sq m site fronts Jonson Street, Byron’s main pedestrian run between the transport interchange and the beach.

It was home to Cheeky Monkey’s, the Byron backpacker bar known for its rowdy nights and frequent headlines over more than two decades before closing during the first Covid lockdown in 2020.

Merivale’s plans now reimagine the space as a relaxed, family-friendly dining precinct.

Hemmes purchased the former Cheeky Monkey’s property at 115 Jonson Street in April 2021 in a deal reported about $13 million, later consolidating the neighbouring tenancy to form the footprint covered in the amended plans. 

▲ A rendering showing the proposed arrangement of the Totti’s and Jimmy’s Falafel dining spaces and courtyard.

Assessment focusses on how the premises will function once trading, including acoustic measures, deliveries, waste collection and whether the two tenancies may operate jointly or independently in service delivery and circulation. 

The amendment follows an earlier exhibition period in March and April and Planning Review Committee review in May and June.

The revised plans were resubmitted and re-exhibited under Clause 37, which requires public notification when a development application is changed after lodgement.

Hemmes has expanded Merivale’s coastal and regional portfolio since 2021, acquiring Quarterdeck Narooma and The Whalebone at Pambula, securing the Beach Hotel operating agreement in Byron Bay and buying the former Cheeky Monkey’s site before opening Totti’s on Bay Lane in 2022. 

Merivale continues to build a national hospitality network anchored in Sydney, with selected regional coastal expansions and brand rollouts including multiple Totti’s locations.