Aslan Shand
The reimagining of Lennox Head has been an ongoing process since 1997 and it is now bearing fruit. At last Thursday’s Ballina Shire Council meeting the Lennox Village Vision was endorsed by councillors and will be placed on public exhibition for comment.
‘This is the culmination of an extensive community engagement process that had local representatives attending multiple workshops to come up with a consensus model,’ Councillor Jeff Johnson told Echonetdaily.
The ideas and community feedback have been being gathered since 1997 with a weekend workshop being held with community stakeholders in March and further information being gathered on parking during last summer.
‘I think the proposal is fantastic, particularly the new focus on Ross Park which will become a major community hub and is clearly the centrepiece of the proposal,’ said Mr Johnson.
‘Removing car parking spaces and converting a large section of the road to a shared zone provides the ideal link between the CBD and the beach through the park. The addition of street furniture and shade trees and improved pedestrian access and bike infrastructure turns the focus away from cars and creates a more vibrant space.’
All Councillors thanked the community members that had participated in the design process and expressed their approval of the outcomes – Slower cars, more people friendly spaces, better views through to the beach, more pathways and more trees.
Cr Keith Williams said, ‘local business is keen to see these works move ahead quickly. This project is ideal for state or federal stimulus funding. We should be knocking on those doors now.’
Councillors endorsed the project timeline that will see the redevelopment completed for the centenary of Lennox Head in December 2022.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
