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South Lismore neighbour ‘shocked’ by tourist development proposal, fears flood risk

One nearby resident, who told the council she had been looking forward to a quiet retirement, said the proposal could “impact residents every day and night”.

The short-term stay hopes to use AirBnb and similar sites to list the South Lismore destination. CREDIT: IStock
The short-term stay hopes to use AirBnb and similar sites to list the South Lismore destination. CREDIT: IStock

A tourist development has been the topic of contention in South Lismore, with one resident labelling it a possible flood risk that could “impact residents every day and night”.

The application has gone before Lismore City Council at 93 Crown St to convert a shed into a ‘serviced apartment’.

According to planning documents, landowner Kerri Porter hopes to place the 56.8m2 “granny flat” space beside the main dwellings for short-term visitors.

According to the application, Ms Porter plans to rent it out via sites such as Airbnb, Bookings.com and Stayz.

“The serviced apartment managed by Ms Porter will allow her to derive a small return on what has obviously been an expensive renovation of the dwelling and sheds,” the application read.

“The small one-bedroom serviced apartment is ancillary to the residential use of the land, and will provide short term / temporary visitor and tourist accommodation.”

However, a neighbouring resident has voiced their objection to the apartment.

Retiree Lynne McLeod said she had been looking forward to a quiet retirement but was “shocked” to hear the development may interfere with those plans.

“There, feasibly, could be six people in the house; one or two in the middle shed and up to two in the unit at the back of the garage,” she claimed.

“This also means that there can possibly be up to 10 cars coming and going day and night.

“This number of people will increase noise level considerably for all residents nearby.”

Ms McLeod noted nearby shift workers could be affected, with the move “impacting residents every day and night.”

She also feared the development could lead to a build up in water due to a lack of appropriate piping.

“At the moment after heavy rain water builds up on my property and can’t get through to the drain,” she said.

“ I lost everything in the 2017 flood … as you can imagine build-up of water makes me very nervous.”

The developer acknowledged Ms McLeod’s objection but said only one to two people would stay for a short period at the site, and the development would only attract two to three car movements a day.

“Potential for noise and anti-social behaviour by occupants is very low to non-existent,” the development application read.

In regards to flood risks, the application proposed council could require an upgrade to the drainage.

Lismore City Council planners are yet to rule a verdict on the proposal.

Read related topics:Lismore development

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/lismore/south-lismore-neighbour-shocked-by-tourist-development-proposal-fears-flood-risk/news-story/36c462cef4a45055900bdcf7a8067e21