Lismore flood: Council torn on housing way forward

Local residents fleeing flood-prone land would be priced out of Lismore if the free market gets its foot in the door, according to worried councillors. See why they were outgunned.

A motion to stall “disaster capitalism” property development under the guise of flood relief in the Northern Rivers through “rushed” rezoning has been shot down – with Lismore council resolving to leave it to the free market.

Cr Adam Guise tabled a motion at this week’s (October 11) Lismore City Council meeting calling on the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation to acquire land for social and affordable housing for flood impacted residents.

“Before we rush madly down the path of leaving it to the free market to determine our recovery, the government and its much touted corporation should be acting in the public interest to house our community, particularly the most vulnerable,” Mr Guise said.

He argued land should be acquired before any rezoning to avoid property developers and private land holders moving in.

“We can’t leave it to the market to drip feed it to us at exorbitant prices,” he said.

Lennon Bartlett rows a boat to his parents’ house next door. Picture: AAP/Dave Hunt)

“What I don’t believe in is this trickle down effect … that in a developer-led and for-profit industry they will create the homes we need for flood victims.”

Lismore resident and registered nurse, Adam Bruce-Allen, spoke in support of the motion.

“In the face of the seemingly endless flood crisis, the value of land must not be measured in dollar terms but in social justice terms,” Mr Bruce-Allen said.

“If we allow unaffordable solutions we could end up with more homelessness, particularly among young people.

“I heard that at least one councillor commented that land swaps are not viable because the land that could be swapped was too valuable compared to flood affected land.

“Are we really so churlish that we don’t want to risk people with a lower land value getting a block worth more than the one they lost?”

But Cr Andrew Gordon strongly opposed the motion, saying in his “32 years (of) selling houses” people have moved incrementally as their properties appreciate in value.

“You start on the flood plain because it’s affordable,” Mr Gordon said.

But Mr Guise said leaving it to the private sector to find solutions to the housing crisis would open the door to out-of-town investors - and force flood affected local residents out of the area.

“A block of land is going to start at $400,000 or $500,000. By the time you’ve got something on it the ground going to be a $1 million house,” Mr Guise said.

“That’s out of any reasonable person’s means. That’s a system gamed for investors and the rich.”

Cr Big Rob opposed the motion, claiming that generational farmers in the region would be forced to hand over their land at a price lower than what it would be after residential rezoning.

Cr Vanessa Ekins supported the motion, dismissing Cr Rob’s assertions of land theft as “fear mongering”.

“This is our opportunity to move vulnerable people out of the flood plain and into affordable housing,” she said.

“I’m really excited about the idea of land swaps – and we’re talking around about 1000 homes – we have the land.

“Whole streets can move together and set up new neighbourhoods and keep community together – and they would be out of the flood plain, which is where they need to go.”

The motion was defeated by councillors: Gordon, Colby, Hall, Jensen, Bing, Rob and Krieg.

Those in favour of lobbying the state corporation to acquire land for flood victims were councillors Bird, Guise, Cook and Ekins.