Yamba community split over housing subdivision proposal

Authorities are set to pull the trigger one way or another on a contentious plan for a huge $48m subdivision on the flood plain at Yamba which could pave the way for hundreds of new homes.

Carrs Dr at Yamba during the 2022 floods.

The fate of a massive $48 million development proposal in the Clarence Valley is imminent – against a backdrop of widespread community discontent.

The Northern Regional Planning Panel will soon rule on the 284-lot subdivision put forward by Kahuna No. 1, for a 42-hectare space at 52-54 Miles St, Yamba.

The site is located in the West Yamba Urban Release Area (WYURA) — south of Yamba Rd and approximately four kilometres from the town centre.

Aerial view of 52-54 Miles St, Yamba. Picture: Rob Donges

The pending decision on the development comes after Clarence Valley Council rejected a rezoning proposal for the WYURA, a flood plain area, at an April meeting.

Supporters of the proposal state it will help address the critical lack of housing in the Northern Rivers and bring more jobs into Yamba.

But the WYURA has long been a bone of contention for some Yamba residents because of the constant truck movements (around one every 10 minutes) and large amount of fill needed, as well as its location on a flood plain.

The subject site, which is currently grass fields.

“The floods of early 2022 have brought this issue to a head as the number of residences in the WYURA will mean that the population of Yamba will increase by 2000 people,” council documents stated in April.

One of the central concerns is the amount of fill needed to build on the flood plains, which Yamba residents state will create further downflow and exacerbate the chances of future flooding in the area.

Kim Burgess, a long term Yamba local, said she was furious about the proposal for 52-54 Miles St, particularly in the wake of last year’s flooding.

Yamba residents protesting the WYURA at the Clarence Valley Council meeting in April. Picture: Facebook

Ms Burgess said she was recently approved for a grant to either raise or retrofit her home by the NSW Resilient Homes program, which she claims is proof the NSW government is aware of flooding dangers in the general area.

“After living in Endeavour St for 23 years … (I sold) my property because I just couldn’t go through another flood plus I was sick of the dust and the noise from the tonnes and tonnes of fill being trucked in,” she said.

“We were flooded four times in those 23 years but 2022 was by far the worst, the water in the street was hip-high.

“I was sick of writing to council year after year providing photos of water flooding the street - their response was to approve more fill.

“Simply put, it’s just not fair.”

If approved, the development would see what is now a field of grass topped with 277 homes, a commercial development and an area for open space.

In a statement, a Clarence Valley Council spokesman said they would consider the proposed development application in accordance with relevant planning legislation.

“In addition to council’s engineering staff assessing the flooding impacts of the development, council is engaging a third-party hydraulic engineering company to provide a peer review service to assist council in assessing the flood impact assessment submitted,” he said.

“Council staff are committed to an extremely thorough assessment of flooding impacts for all development applications in West Yamba Urban Release Area and are rigorously applying the assessment criteria in our Local Environmental Plan, Development Control Plan and state flood policy.”

Originally published as Yamba community split over housing subdivision proposal