‘Missing opportunities’: Lismore City Council takes aim at NRRC for ‘ignoring’ potential land for flood victim relocations

The state-appointed NRRC has been slammed for “ignoring” land flagged by Lismore council for potential relocation of flood victims more than a year after the record disasters.

Lismore City Council general manager Jon Gibbons and Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) CEO David Witherdin.

Lismore City Council has penned a scathing letter to the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) boss, condemning a decision not to consider public land to relocate flood victims.

General manager Jon Gibbons said in the letter to NRRC CEO David Witherdin the council was “extremely disappointed” the Resilient Lands strategy did not include land put forward by council.

He said: “The strategy has only considered land that was nominated by landowners through the NRRC’s expression of interest (EOI) process and has not taken into consideration any public/Crown land or any of the privately owned sites put forward by Lismore Council.”

Lismore under water last year. Picture: Supplied

Mr Gibbons said the NRRC “assured” the council “in numerous meetings” that earmarking the private land was “only one step” in the process “in addition to Council-identified and Crown land”.

“We have since been advised by NRRC staff that the council-identified and Crown sites have not been considered as part of the draft strategy,” he said.

“By ignoring the sites that were put forward by (the council) that are zoned for residential use and generally with DA (development application) approvals in place – we believe the Resilient Lands Strategy is missing opportunities to deliver its objectives faster and potentially cheaper than on some of the sites that have been included in the draft strategy.”

Additionally, Mr Gibbons said there was “almost no detail” about how the NRRC would accelerate the development of six temporary housing sites identified around Lismore.

HammondCare case worker Gabriel Hooper holding onto his roof in Rhodes St, South Lismore in the catastrophic 2022 floods.

Further, he said the council was “somewhat sceptical” about the number of homes the NRRC flagged could be put on the temporary sites – between 1750 and 2620.

The NRRC said up to 2350 dwellings could be stuffed into the two sites at Winten Land, North Lismore Plateau and on a vacant lot, 1055 Bruxner Hwy.

“In the interests of setting realistic expectations from the community, it is recommended that these indicative yields be amended if these sites are included in the final version of the strategy and that realistic numbers be provided if other sites are identified,” Mr Gibbons wrote.

Lismore City Council general manager Jon Gibbons.

The Resilient Lands Strategy identifies 22 potential sites across the Northern Rivers. Of those, 15 have been flagged for immediate investigation, with capacity for approximately 7800 dwellings.

Investigations are underway into seven more sites with capacity for 2500 homes.

Rahima Jackson, of South Lismore after the floods. Picture: Cath Piltz

The wait time for social housing in the Northern Rivers in 2021 was more than ten years.

The NRRC has been contacted for a response to the council.