New master plan for Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus

New master plan will transform Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus and link to local business and the community.

The entry to Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus after the new master plan is implemented.

Southern Cross University has launched a new master plan for its Lismore campus with new student accommodation, a new sports precinct and an outdoor natural amphitheatre for performances.

The new plan for the 75 hectare campus also includes enterprises zones for business, facilities for schools which have been operating on the campus since the devastating Lismore floods two years ago, development of green spaces and preservation of natural waterways.

The plan will be implemented over the coming decade as the university secures funding to carry it out, and the focus will on adaptive reuse of buildings rather then new builds.

The campus will be known as Gnibi Wandarahn, in the local Bundjalung language, which means Southern Cross place of learning.

Vice-chancellor Tyrone Carlin said the plan was a “declaration of intent” by the university to do great things in Lismore, including delivering state-of-the-art facilities for teaching and research.

The new master plan would redevelop the hub at the Lismore Campus of Southern Cross University.

The university had “ set out to create a vision for a dynamic, multifaceted hub of research, innovation and community partnerships that will change the way the region interacts with the university forever”.

“It embeds schools, further education at the post-secondary level, health, business and generally just enlivens a massive asset for our community,” Professor Carlin said.

It includes a modified campus layout to make it easier to navigate, and allow buildings and spaces to be more adaptable and interconnected.

The master plan also sets a goal of net zero emissions by the campus in 2035, becoming a model of sustainability and the circular economy.