Businesses, residents wary about ‘depopulate’ Lismore idea

Residents and business owners in North and South Lismore are working hard to make things right, while council has before it a paper suggesting a measured retreat from high risk flood-prone land. What the locals are saying.

Residents and business owners in North and South LIsmore are paying out of their own pockets and through donations to rebuild in flood prone land that Lismore council is currently discussing how to deliver a staged retreat from.

North and South Lismore businesses getting back on their feet are not keen to uproot and move from the flood plain.

A discussion paper before Lismore council airs the thought to ‘depopulate’ areas of the city at high risk of flooding, and for an expansion of the nearby Goonellabah industrial area.

But the ‘build back better’ paper has established Lismore businesses digging their heels in.

Citing logistics, equivalent land and building size, and lag time to put in the required infrastructure, some South Lismore business owners would rather stay put.

Steve Robinson, dealer principal of Southside Truck Centre in South Lismore, sits behind donated office furniture, 2022 was the first time he had water come close to his business. Picture: Cath Piltz

Southside Truck Centre dealer principal Steve Robinson said trying to wind a B-double truck weighing 60-odd tonne up to Goonellabah industrial estate would not be practicable.

“Our location in the South Lismore industrial estate was always meant to be handy to the main business centre,” Mr Robinson said.

“We’re on a two-acre site here and to have a two-acre site at Goonellabah - I just can’t picture it on sloping ground.

“Our business would struggle bigtime.”

Mr Robinson said talking about flood mitigation is fundamental to boosting investor confidence in Lismore.

“It’s got to be constantly in front of the public eye so people out of the town know that flood mitigation is going to happen and will have the confidence to come and invest in our town,” he said.

Business grants: Where is the money?

Floods crippling businesses via unaffordable insurance, lost stock and equipment and confusing government criteria for grants mean that some owners are not receiving anywhere near the aid they say they need.

Sherilee Matthews of Lickiss Fabrications in South Lismore said if it flooded again they'd rebuild again. Picture: Cath Piltz

Sherilee Matthews of Lickiss Fabrications in South Lismore said business grants should be determined by the amount of loss, not by the number of staff.

“Not everyone fits in the same box,” Ms Matthews said, “I’ve lost over a million dollars plus four trucks, I’ve only got eight staff but I only get $50,000 where a business that might have lost $500,000 that’s got 20 staff and they get $200,000?

“It doesn’t seem right and there are a lot of businesses like that.”

Business owners dealing with lost stock and equipment not covered by insurance are copping another headache by having to pay for everything out of their own pockets.

“We’ve gone and used every last cent that we have to rebuild, re-setup and start manufacturing again,” Ms Matthews said.

“It’s important for us to get up and running so we can help the town rebuild - and glass and aluminium is a big part of what we need to fix the town.”

The logistics and costs of moving long established factories and businesses that are socially connected to an area are as perplexing as the flood stains in their ceilings.

“A factory and business of our size can’t just move up the hill … where do you find a massive shed like this with land to put it on?” Ms Matthews said.

“South Lismore is where it’s been for 30 years, it’s where we’ve been, why do we need to move?”

Managing director of Dolphin Office Choice in South Lismore, Jason Camidge, has spent thousands of dollars of his own money to rebuild and keep his staff employed. Picture: Cath Piltz

Jason Camidge of Dolphin Office Choice said that businesses in South Lismore should stay and take their chances.

“It will take way too long to get infrastructure up in Goonellabah,” Mr Camidge said.

“Even if you go out to Wollongbar or somewhere like that it’s too far away from the CBD and the businesses that require us as a stationery supplier.”

With over 54,000 products in store, Mr Camidge said if the location of the South Lismore industrial estate was changed it would hurt a lot of the owners of the current buildings.

“A land swap is good,” he said, “but you still have to put a building on it.”

The building rented by Dolphin Office Choice has been in Three Chain Road for 25 years and to rebuild it would cost $2.5 million.

Sean Riley grew up at his family home in South Lismore where he rescued his mum in the 2022 floods. Picture: Cath Piltz

Sean Riley is at his 78-year-old mother’s house in South Lismore rebuilding on no budget with the help of “angels” that have come in to clean and help fix damaged parts of the house he grew up in.

He said although this is the first time floodwaters have gone inside upstairs, they will want to stay in South Lismore.

“We have a lot of connections with South Lismore,” Mr Riley said.

“I heard council might buy a property for $90,000 when previously it was worth $450-$500,000.”

Mr Riley said he couldn’t see the government stepping in to help people.

“I think you have just got to rebuild,” he said.

“It will flood again, rebuild again, but if your house is condemned no one will be able to rebuild because you can’t put a new house or move a house onto flood prone land.”

The best flood mitigation idea Mr Riley heard was a series of dams upstream of the Wilsons River catchment that will slowly release and funnel water through pipes to the ocean.

“I think the dams are a better idea than dredging the river,” Mr Riley said, “right upstream to ease the water. The levee definitely doesn’t help. It never helped South Lismore, I think it makes it worse.

“Once it goes over that levee then you’ve got that force of water and instead of it slowly coming in and slowly coming out, it comes in a great torrent and can’t get out.”

He said it’s very hard for businesses to start again knowing in all expectations it will flood again.

Michael Katz is fixing up a rental property he owns at North Lismore. Picture: Cath Piltz

Michael Katz, with the aid of family and friends, has been cleaning out his house on Terania Street in North Lismore over the past two months - and said insurance premiums were unaffordable.

“In 2014 we were quoted over $8500 for here and after the 2017 flood people across the road were quoted $27-28,000 for flood insurance,” Mr Katz said.

The landlord said he had good tenants and was doing his best to get the place habitable as quickly as possible.

“We’ve stripped out walls and skirting boards, trims and a couple of ceilings and now we’re up to the painting stage,” Mr Katz said.

Lismore council’s land use management strategy looks at the concept of a land swap rather than a buy out - as it strives to keep people in the area, close to their social networks and jobs.

“I understand Lismore council is probably using Grantham as a model and I think they offered people to swap land ... but we couldn’t afford to take that up because that would mean the $100k or whatever it is to move the house to a new block of land presents us no choice but to stay here.

“I’m very fond of North Lismore but if that is their strategy it’s a good idea if it’s doable.”

Similarly, Peter McKenzie of South Lismore said affordability is an issue with any land swap or relocation deal, as well as choice on where people would be relocated to.

“I don’t want to live in a housing commission type thing,” Mr McKenzie said, “I’ve already been there done that before we bought the house.

“I’m not being unfair by saying that but I like my privacy and I like where I am, I love it here because it’s so private.”

He wants to stay in South Lismore, but Mrs McKenzie doesn’t.

Many long term residents in both North and South Lismore seriously considering relocation are concerned over how much choice they will have in the matter.

Peter Gilbert from North Lismore said he wants to see what is put on the table. Picture: Cath Piltz

Peter Gilbert of North Lismore said the floodwaters reached two metres above his floor height of 12.3 metres in the 2022 floods.

“If it can do it once,” Mr Gilbert said, “it can do it again, and how many times do you want to live through it?

“We love living here, but we’ve spent two months cleaning up and now we’re rebuilding, I mean how many times do you want to do that?”

Yet Lismore residents and business owners closely following what happened in Grantham don’t want to be the last one downtown if the majority leave.

The uninsured North Lismore resident has an open mind on relocation options.

“I guess it comes down to what the population is doing, what everyone’s doing, like if everyone else around here decides to move you don’t want to be the last person standing in North Lismore,” Mr Gilbert said.

“If you consider over the last hundred years how many times Lismore, North, South, East, CBD, has flooded and the billions of dollars that’s cost people, individuals, insurance companies, businesses, government - you’d have to draw the line somewhere and say how many more billions of dollars do you want to spend into the future.

“Even though we love the place and are very attached to it, can we create something similar somewhere else if we need to?”