Urban development on agenda

IT WILL be an interesting meeting when Lismore councillors talk with developers and industry stakeholders about the city’s urban development strategy.

IT WILL be an interesting meeting tonight at the Lismore Workers Club when Lismore councillors meet developers and industry stakeholders to discuss the city’s urban development strategy.

Some are predicting the city will die and become a ghost town if nothing is done to stimulate the development of residential growth.

This may be but, like many councils before them, Lismore has to walk a difficult line – sustaining population growth and development while making sure there is the infra-structure to support it.

It is all very well allowing massive residential growth, but without the infrastructure to support population growth, such as employment, water, roads and community services, we will end up with a wasteland of residential estates.

Simply building more homes does not automatically equate to population growth.

This city cannot support a larger unemployed population, so we must first target the people who will create employment.

If we build more houses and encourage young families to move to Lismore, where will they work, where will their kids go to school, and how will they get around?

And what about community services? Are we geared up to increase these?

Lismore needs to become a hive of opportunity for jobs and affordable housing.

We need to carefully consider who we want to target to increase our population, and then we need to give them good reasons to move here, to benefit both them and this city. This requires careful planning and consideration for the future.

Originally published as Urban development on agenda