A program is being launched in Lismore today that will give $20,000 to people who buy a vacant lot on one of five lands releases around Lismore.
Under the program, 200 grants will be made available to people with low to moderate incomes to help them achieve home ownership.
Called the Build Your Future: Lismore Housing Subsidy Scheme, it is part of the Federal Government’s Building Better Regional Cities program.
Lismore council’s development and compliance manager Peter Jeuken said when combined with the NSW First Home Buyers grants of $15,000, there was a potential for the total subsidy to be as much as $40,000 in certain circumstances.
‘The Build Your Future scheme is being run on a first in best dressed basis, so we encourage people to make an application as soon as possible,’ he said.
As part of this program, the Lismore council received $5 million from the Federal Government to build the Pineapple Road/Ballina Road roundabout, the Invercauld Road/Ballina Road intersection and the Molesworth Street/Orion Street roundabout, improving access to the city’s major land release areas.
In return for the infrastructure funding, the council is providing the 200 grants of $20,000 for affordable housing lots in new land release areas throughout the city.
The 200 Build Your Future lots will be made available at five locations throughout the city: North Lismore Plateau; Sanctuary Hill off Invercauld Road; Pineapple Road, Goonellabah; and Airforce Road, East Lismore.
Lismore mayor Jenny Dowell, Page MP Kevin Hogan are launching the program this morning at a breakfast with developers and real estate agents at the Richmond Hotel in Lismore.
For further information and application forms visit www.lismore.nsw.gov.au, phone 1300 87 83 87 or enquire with a local real estate agent.
OMG the Mayor, National Party representative, real estate agents and developers meeting in a pub announcing cash hand outs to those who buy into the North Lismore Plateau. This is in addition to the millions being borrowed by LCC to fund the infrastructure for the benefit of the developers.
This is on a development that has not even been rezoned and is already a financial and legal liability to the Council.
Something urgently needs to be done to intervene and rectify this serious breach of corporate governance by the profligate abuse of rate payers money.
I am sickened with all the empty rhetoric of the ‘we pay recognition of Bundjalung country’ when we are witnessing a proposal set to destroy one of the most significant Aboriginal places in our shire.
Not 1 of the 200 lots has been sold yet. Most BBRC developments aren’t even close to releasing land with only one under construction.
As it stands the Lismore City Council will need to refund the Federal government about $4 MILLION come June 2016. Most of that money has already been spent on infrastructure. Well done LCC.