Independent planning panel to take charge of Lismore’s flood rebuild
Lismore councillors are crying foul after effectively losing planning powers to oversee the city’s rebuild. See why the state government said it had to step in.
Regional News
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The NSW government has defended the move to set up a new independent panel in a bid to ‘free up’ Lismore City Council and fast-track the post-floods’ rebuild.
It comes after council opposed the move.
The government’s Lismore Flood Recovery Planning Package will now see a panel of experts to “expedite” recovery efforts such as house-raising for flood affected residents.
But several Lismore councillors have raised concerns the government is using the recovery from the horrific 2022 floods to snatch power from council.
Retired journalist Janine Wilson wrote on the Lismore Council Watch Facebook group that several panel nominees had been contacted by the Planning Department and background checks were underway.
This despite councillors rejecting a specific Lismore Planning Panel at its February meeting.
During the meeting, councillor Darlene Cook criticised Lismore mayor Steve Krieg and former general manager John Walker, asking why they had kept councillors and the community in the dark about the implementation of the panel.
“I wonder how long this imposed planning panel was part of the entire game plan of the interim general manager (John Walker),” she said
“ (Mr Walker) boasted quite a number of times that he and the mayor had the Minister’s direct line on speed dial.”
Ms Cook questioned why correspondence between the Minister and general manager Walker and mayor Krieg regarding the planning panel was not dated.
“So when were they actually received?” she said.
“Why was the lead up to the announcement about the planning panel shared with the interim general manager and the mayor and not with councillors? Not with the community whom we represent?”
Mr Krieg told The Daily Telegraph he had met with “many state and federal ministers” since the 2022 floods with the goal of “rebuilding Lismore as quickly and efficiently as possible”.
“I have met with the Minister Planning several times, as the biggest challenge facing Lismore’s future is moving residents off the flood plain,” Mr Krieg said.
“Did I ask for a planning panel? No, I did not. Did I ask for planning support? Yes, I did, as Lismore is one of many councils across the state needing help with planning.
A spokesman for the Department of Planning and Environment said the mayor and interim general manager requested assistance from the state government in November with general measures to streamline decision-making and advice to support flood recovery efforts
In response to the request, on December 16, amendments were made to planning rules to introduce the Local Planning Panel, the spokesman said.
“I make no apology for doing everything I can to help the people of Lismore feel safe and secure in their homes and for businesses to feel confident investing in Lismore,” Mr Krieg said.
“The planning panel may not be the perfect solution, but my job is to now try and negotiate with the government to find a more workable solution.”
Mr Krieg rejected calls for his resignation in July last year after he told ABC’s Four Corners that council alone couldn’t deal with flood recovery – calling for an “autocratic” approach.
“You can’t do the work that needs to be done in Lismore through the council,” he said.
“You actually need to sack the council to make this happen.”
A motion to sack Mr Krieg was defeated six votes to four at the July 2022 council meeting.
At the February 2023 meeting where council voted to not implement the Lismore Planning Panel, councillor Big Rob attempted to put up another no-confidence motion in the mayor – but ultimately withdrew the motion.
The Department of Planning and Environment spokesman said the community was not consulted as part of the establishment of a planning panel, and the new body will be permanent.
Ms Cook criticised the government’s lack of community consultation.
“When members of the public come to us for help with matters they’ve got, what can we tell them? ‘Oh sorry, we are forbidden to help you, you will have to approach some stranger in Sydney and hope for a fair hearing’,” she said.
She wants the Minister to explain how the Lismore Planning Panel will expedite house relocations and the rebuilding of the city.
The department spokesman said the destruction of the floods had forced the Minister's hand.
“Given this impact and the need to speed up the delivery of much-needed housing and provide more certainty, the Minister has decided to constitute a Local Planning Panel for Lismore.
“(It will) depoliticise planning decisions and provide more consistent and transparent decision-making.
“The panel will also enable councillors of Lismore City Council to continue to focus on setting strategic direction and building community resilience following the February-March 2022 floods.
Ms Cook said Lismore council had dealt with only two contentious development applications in the past 12 months.
“How has that slowed down the process?” she said.
“Our community elected us to have this responsibility. It’s been taken away from us.”
Local state MP Janelle Saffin said Lismore’s situation “demands something different” – not a planning panel.
“We need the state government to do things with us and not to us, despite any good intentions,” she said.
“I do not see it helping our community as we, more than any community, do not need things imposed on us.”
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