‘Fundamental rethink’: Lismore Council votes on new growth strategy

Affordable housing and relocations are on the table in Lismore’s new growth strategy. But will it be enough or is it just ‘paying lip service’ to a devastated community? Find out more.

Affordable housing and relocations will be a major focus of council’s new vision for Lismore’s future, and how the town will respond to increasingly severe weather events caused by climate change

Affordable housing and relocations will be a major focus of council’s new vision for Lismore’s future, and how the town will respond to increasingly severe weather events caused by climate change.

Lismore City Council’s new Growth and Realignment Strategy takes into account the “devastating impacts” of the February and March floods.

The displacement of residents and businesses from Lismore “have been so profound” that any ‘business-as-usual’ assumptions about population and employment growth are redundant – requiring a “fundamental rethink” of the future.

Key Elements of the Strategy include a “planned retreat” to permanently remove people and assets from the most flood prone areas – with council lobbying for state and federal government funding to assist with a voluntary buyout and relocation program.

But councillor Adam Guise said the strategy only “paid lip service” to flood victims and did not go far enough.

Damage from flooding, and a sign asking for help, on Elliott Rd in South Lismore in the aftermath of the Feburary and March floods. Picture: Jonathan Ng

He moved an amendment to pressure the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation to identify land to acquire for flood survivors, and the methods of how they will deliver housing.

“The community doesn‘t have any confidence that the corporation has identified the land or identified the mechanisms to actually make that happen on the ground,” he said.

“And that‘s why we as a council need to be in that room. We need to be involved in those negotiations around what might be happening.”

Another major element of the strategy is an “Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme” that allows the council to levy developer contributions from landowners who benefit from an ‘upzoning’ of their land.

But Cr Guise said the strategy’s reliance on high population growth, with medium density redeployments instead of greenfield sites and the use of large lot residential sites in outlying villages, could see housing prices skyrocket.

“The strategy also makes clear that we‘re not even looking at our affordable housing strategy,” he said.

“That means we‘re neglecting our duties to our public who need affordable housing upfront, rather than leading to a developer led system to provide housing.

“Furthermore, its profit driven, which will leave land prices unaffordable for most people.

“The private system has failed us and fundamentally, we need government intervention.

“We need intervention from the corporation to acquire land to enable those affordable house relocations.”

A woman walks her dog on a flooded road in Lismore earlier this year. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Councillor Andrew Gordon – a real estate agent who receives $100,000 in revenue from seven privately owned rental properties – opposed land acquisitions for flood victims; many of whom are paying mortgages on flood ruined houses while living in caravans.

He also opposed the growth strategy because it included potential development in the precinct nearby the East Lismore Golf Club on Wyallah Rd.

He said council had resolved not to develop on the crown land the gold course is located on.

However, general manager John Walker clarified that the resolution was only until the next council term, and the strategy outlined potential development up until 2040.

Cr Gordon has previously disclosed that he lives near East Lismore Golf Course.

Cr Big Rob questioned why the strategy was based on a high growth in Lismore’s population, when all data pointed to 10 years of negative growth and the decline worsening after losing 2000 homes to the February floods.

But councillor Darlene Cook rejected the idea Lismore would go backwards, and said it would only attract new residents if the town planned for future growth.

Australian location intelligence and aerial imagery firm Nearmap captured images after the floods to help with response, rebuilding and recovery efforts. Pictured is part of South Lismore. Picture: NearMap

“I‘ve got a lot of faith in Lismore. I’ve got a lot of faith in this ability to rebuild and (be) reinvented ... it has done so numerous times before. It will do it again,” she said.

“It‘s a long term plan. It will allow us to actually go to the reconstruction corporation and say ‘here are the lands identified, here are the lands that our community have put forward’.

Council voted through the growth strategy, with Cr Adam Guise’s amendment.

Votes for: Cr Elly Bird, Cr Vanessa Ekin, Cr Darlene Cook, Cr Adam Guise and Mayor Steve Krieg.

Those opposed: Cr Andrew Gordon, Cr Peter Colby, Cr Andrew Bing, Cr Electra Jensen and Cr Big Rob.

Cr Jeri Hall was absent.