Lismore City councillors vote on imperfect strategic plan to forge ahead with flood recovery

Council has decided to “immediately” consult with the community on the future of Lismore as the flood-stricken city’s recovery remains up in the air.

Floodwater surrounds a house in Lismore on March 29, 2022. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Council has voted to “immediately” consult with the community on the future of Lismore as the flood-stricken city’s recovery remains up in the air.

Lismore City Council will gather community views before going to the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) to specify desired outcomes for flood recovery – almost a year on from the onset of the record floods early last year.

The debate over the adoption of the 10-year Lismore Community Strategic Plan at a meeting on Tuesday followed revelations public consultation was undertaken pre-floods, and submissions from residents on the plan did not address community needs after the disasters.

Flooding in Lismore in March, 2022. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Lismore resident David Tomlinson said during public access: “Many residents are still living in limbo, people don’t know whether to leave or stay and businesses don’t know whether to close or stay open,”

Mr Tomlinson said councillors needed to take the lead and tell government agencies like the NRRC what the community wanted in post-flood recovery.

“They need your guidance – you are our elected representatives,” he said.

There has been 57 submissions from the public to the proposed plan, but no changes have been made to address community concerns.

The plan up for adoption would determine how council governs and would determine the outcomes to be delivered by government agencies like the corporation.

The council’s new general manager Jon Gibbons said consultation could have been better, but a plan was needed to get funding and investment for council.

He said there was financial risks of the plan not being in place.

A man walks past a pile of debris awaiting collection in the CBD on March 29, 2022. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Councillors were torn over adopting an imperfect plan, which stated Lismore resident’s priority was a “vibrant and prosperous city” where it stands.

Cr Big Rob said the plans and were based on outdated frameworks that did not address flood mitigation and a planned retreat from the flood plain as a top priority.

Cr Vanessa Ekins said the council needed to “immediately” consult with the community before an approach to the corporation.

“We have failed to lead in this area,” she said.

Eli Roth clears mud and debris from a drain in his street on March 29, 2022. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

Cr Adam Guise said submissions on the plan demonstrated the hunger in the community to address the post-flood housing crisis and to make flood-free land available for flood survivors.

“There’s lots of good submissions in there and it really lends itself to reinventing ourselves, which is what we need to do,” he said.

“There is lots of concern about our identity, about where we are going to live.

“So if we are to adopt a plan we need to make sure it includes real actions to relocate businesses and residents off the flood plain in a fair way.”

Residents examining the flooding last year. Picture: Darren Leigh Roberts.

Council staff responded that pre-flood consultation was sufficient and the “aspirations” of the community remained fundamentally the same.

Cr Elly Bird said the community sent a “clear message” that there needed to be a “meaningful conversation sooner rather than later”, but council had been “treading water”, and a governance framework was necessary.

Cr Andrew Gordon said the community had a “different opinion” on the needs of Lismore and the plan did not truly reflect that.

He said the council was “stuck between a rock and a hard place” and needed to “compromise” and get something in place to be able to move forward.

“We need to do this tonight – we keep kicking the can down the road,” he said.

Floodwater surrounds a house in Lismore on March 29, 2022. Picture: Dan Peled/Getty Images

The council voted to adopt the Lismore Community Strategic Plan 2022-2023 and to consult with the community on the future of Lismore “immediately”.

Councillors in favour were Elly Bird, Andrew Gordon, Jeri Hall, Darlene Cook, Electra Jensen and Mayor Steve Krieg.

Those against were Councillors Peter Colby, Vanessa Ekins, Big Rob and Adam Guise.