Lismore landowners, contractors fined thousands of dollars for illegal clearing

After a lengthy investigation, the property owner and an earthmoving contractor were fined and ordered to remediate the damage to the “fragile” ecosystem.

NORTHERN RIVERS FINES: The Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) has revealed it it has issued several fines to landowners and contractor regarding their unauthorised clearing and removal of vegetation around creeks. File Photo: NRAR

A Lismore property owner and an earthmoving contractor have been fined thousands of dollars for illegally clearing vegetation from creek banks and damaging fish habitat.

The fines – $1500 for the landholder and $3000 for the contractor – were issued by the Natural Resources Access Regulator after a lengthy investigation.

The property owner has also been ordered to remediate the damage, and must hire an expert to guide the work.

Investigations began in March 2020 after a member of the public reported significant clearning and earthmoving works being undertaken along a waterway in the Lismore local government area.

NRAR found a significant section of the creek channel had been excavated by a company contracted by the landholder, and soil and vegetation had been removed from the banks of the creek without proper authorisation.

Director of water regulation Gregory Abood said the case emphasised the importance of seeking a controlled activity approval before doing any work on creek banks or any other waterfront land.

“It is absolutely vital to protect fragile riparian ecosystems from unlawful clearing of creeks or other waterfront land,” Mr Abood said.

Meanwhile, NRAR and NSW Fisheries worked closely to investigate an unauthorised crossing which had been built across a creek at Rosebank.

The “poorly designed” crossing posed a significant risk to water quality in the creek and the landholder was issued with a fine and directions to remove the structure.

In another instance, a property owner at Urliup in the Tweed area was fined and ordered to remove two small weirs in a stream.

NRAR also fined a property owner at Dorrigo, south of Coffs Harbour, and ordered them to remove an unauthorised weir built to boost access to irrigation water.

Landholders can visit the NRAR website, to determine if they need to apply for a Controlled Activity Approval.

Concerned residents can make a confidential report on suspected water misuse.