Paul Bibby
Thousands of homes and businesses in North and South Lismore would be moved to higher ground under a proposal put forward by Lismore Council as part of a discussion paper exploring options for the town’s future following the flooding disasters.
The proposal is one of several ideas involving major changes to life in Lismore contained in the Land Management Discussion Paper, which has just been released for feedback from the public.
‘This discussion paper will be out there for six weeks and we encourage businesses, landowners and the general community to have a look and to gives us their feedback,’ Lismore’s General Manager John Walker said.
Under the proposal to relocate parts of North and South Lismore, Council would advocate for a State and Federal Government funded land swap arrangement to allow residents to move to higher ground but remain close to existing social networks and jobs.
It is argued that this major shift could be necessary to prepare for the increased likelihood of severe flooding brought about by climate-change-induced rain events.
‘Lismore is facing some big decisions about rebuilding and future growth,’ the Council said in a statement.
The discussion paper also raises the possibility of establishing a new commercial or mixed-use precinct on golf course land at East Lismore, as well as the idea of expanding the existing industrial precinct at Goonellabah.
The paper also proposes some broad-scale changes to planning policies.
This includes a review of the Infrastructure Delivery program to fast-track infrastructure to new land releases outside of flood affected areas, and ensuring affordable housing is included as part of Lismore’s growth by introducing an Affordable Housing Contributions Scheme (AHCS) for all land identified for future residential rezoning or a change in LEP controls to allow for greater density.
An AHCS is a mechanism in the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act that allows Council to collect developer contributions for the purpose of providing new affordable housing.
The review of Lismore’s Land Management Strategy discussion paper is available at Your Say Lismore www.yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au Written feedback can be provided until June 10, 2022.
Two public forums will be held at the Lismore Heights Sports Club on Monday, 23 May at 5.30pm and Wednesday, 25 May at 11.30am. Bookings are essential and can be made at www.yoursay.lismore.nsw.gov.au
There are stupid people around who doubt that Climate Change is among us.
Many of these stupid people are in the Northern Rivers region.
Guess what, after the 2017 Flooid with all the evidence then before them, the Lismore Council voted NOT to raise the levee banks.
They voted NOT to raise the levee banks, even when Lismore was flooded in 2017.
So is Lismore going to be flooded again in 2023, 2024 or 2025. Pick a year.
Then pick another year when we are going to have bushfires.
There’s no climate change princess..this particular rain event and it’s severity were in greater part a result of the volcanic eruption in tonga in January..check your sunsets and sunrises…there’s still ash in the atmosphere..cheers glad to help.
That’s telling her, Sugarplum!
There are many reasons for major Floods ; most of them relate to natural cycles or other physical drivers ; nothing to do with CO2 emissions. We need to look at viable ways to reduce the magnitude of the Floods and importantly ; make premises more Flood tolerant. I well remember the 1974 Flood in Lismore & I was out in a boat helping out. Most notable in those days was the “attitude” to Not be defeated by the Flood.!
Post Flood , most Shops in the Lismore CBD were OPEN & OPERATING within 10 days. At least 90 % of all businesses were Open & Operating within a Month. Sure , some were waiting on new Carpet or extra Furniture but they were back in business ; everyone was Flood aware.
All had a ” plan of action “! Local Flood Management actually worked with people reporting from dozens of River & Creek locations with local knowledge made it “”accurate”” and relayed on radio 2LM.. Decades later ; the last three Floods represent misinformation that misled both local and regional Community into a false sense of Security. Made worse , much, much worse with the Levee Wall that presents a false sense of protection ; in fact it delays the inevitable , beyond the time people can prepare & “move up” Business & Residential possessions.!
Raising the Levee Wall would be a mistake (a) a higher Wall around CBD would inflict more harm ( higher flooding ) to South & North Lismore.
(b) a higher wall to ” 2017 level” would be an Engineering challenge that would be impractical & unaffordable. (c) if the Levee is breached, the flood is always made worse with the surge of a tidal wave – like with recent floods. The Lismore Council were right , not raising the Levee..
There were early Options – such as from Mr Hepburn , to include Canals ( normally dry ) that supplemented the Wilson & Richmond Rivers to the Sea only during flood levels.. These Canal sections would reduce height of floods, by adding to the Volume of Water over such a long distance to the Coast. These Rivers must be routine Dredged to maintain a deeper and wider River ( as use to be done for Shipping up to the mid 1960’s ) Logic says ; our more recent Floods , were made worse , due to sediment build up in these Rivers.!!!
Back in the last Century , people were prepared in the CBD , it was common to see hundreds of Trucks and Trailers removing Retail Goods & Furniture from the CBD Shops – it was often asked for by businesses on the Radio to attend individual premises ( rare today ). It was almost non-existent in those years to have anything left in a Shop as the flood entered it. It was also rare to use plasterboard / gyprock or any other building material that wont survive a Flood – even the Shop Fittings were Flood tolerant. Since 2005 , these priorities have been forgotten.!
After these two floods in February and March 2022, are the Levee Banks going to be raised?
Emily, we’ve had our 1 in 500, 1 in 1,000, 1 in 3,500 year flood event according to our flood experts Perrottet, Morrisons or Joyce, whichever one you care to take your flood expertise from.
So no need to do much for at least the next 500 years.
That is not how “once in …” is counted.
We were flooded in Ocean Shores by this “once in a hundred year storm”, but it is as severe as the 2005 storm which is also considered “once in a hundred year storm”.
We were explained that each year we get hit by several storms which are compared on anual basis to each other.
The most severe of these storms gets the “once in a” tag attached to them
Archimedes Principle clearly shows that had the levee banks been raised another 3 metres then the 2022 flood would have been higher and more severe.
so what should we do Al?
you protested against the building of housing on north lismore elevated lands in a flood free location,
What are the solutions you propose ? I would love to hear what your vision of the future is !
Honestly I am all ears.
Al, even if the levee banks had been at the height of the february 2022 flood, the floodwaters would have spilled over the top into the cbd side anyway, probably still almost as deep as they did with the current levee bank. And if the levee burst…
Agree Shane ; the Wilsons River during a major flood also breaches the banks well South of the CBD and would back flow West of Girrards Hill and threaten CBD . Also it breaches between Gundurimba and Monaltrie,, major flood water crosses Wyrallah Road & around to flood East Lismore. Any build to Raise existing Levee , would have to be extensive (costly) with additional Risks. Also , the Pump Station would struggle against a high flood level differential and the storm water in Brown’s Creek would back into the CBD anyway. Other people just don’t see the negative sides…
It is good that reality has finally hit home, and sense is finally prevailing (now we just need them to realise that the whole city needs to be moved out of the floodplain).
Just getting government to pay the cost of a landswap, including development ready to start building, will be hard enough now.
Especially as all the fool greenies, hellbent on hating Scott Morrison rather than thinking strategically about how to use the golden opportunity of a federal election campaign, have shot themselves (the whole town) in the foot by banging on about the flood being supposedly abnormal and that it only happened because of changing climate. Over time it will be more broadly recognised how dumb a move this was, when Kevin Hogan was trying to highlight the fact that the flood was a normal but extremely rare one, which may have got the town a lot more pork
There are 1000s of levee banks / walls around the world, providing a very good up to the minute history on how they work. A couple of the most straight forward problems are: They increase water velocity and erosion capacity downstream, they trap water on the land side which has to be pumped over or through the levee and surprise, the pumps often fail for multiple reasons, and when they get over 2m high they create a cataclysmic risk if they fail, i.e. a section falls into the river. Moving flood prone buildings is the only long term sensible solution which will take time and money. ITM, building applications on vacant flood prone land, (which could be land flooded 2 out of 3 times in the last 5 years), has to be suspended. If compensation has to be paid its gunna be a whole lot cheaper to pay out without a building on it..
Lismore council have instead of fixing the roads proply have just put the speed limit down, soon we’ll be doing 40 ks every where.haha not funny . Probs Only the way you get around with electric cars, just gotta remember it took 5 to 10 to 20 day’s to get the electricity back on and no phone reception.The sun is at its Maximus happens every 22 years approx, does stir the weather up , always has.Just remember when you damb what was wet lands before there are consiquens.ox
Can I just say, the greens in Lismore; Vanessa Ekins + Adam Guise, voted to reject a residential development in Goonellabah, just weeks after the floods.
Its all in the minutes and recording:
(on the Lismore Council website – business papers and agendas for committees and advisory groups)
I am not anti -greens, I am just presenting the facts, Elly Bird and all other councillors supported the DA, just to provide context;
The residential DA in GBAH was:
– 100% supported by Council staff
– in an existing residential zoned area (no rezoning required)
– supported by Tucki Tucki Creek Landcare
– supported by the majority of Lismore residents
– provides critical flood free housing.
Yet these two members still voted to refuse the DA, going against Council staff, most of the community and common sense.
They also say we can’t raise the flood levy and have been against North Lismore Platea residential project for years, which is also above the flooding areas.
I really want to hear what Adam and Vanessa’s solutions and long terms plans are for Lismore, how can we move a town if they can’t even support existing residential zoned development ?
Please people , check what your local members actually vote for at the Council meetings!
Lismore community is very unique and have been through a major traumatic event rescueing and supporting each other….what ever solution council comes up with needs to honour this and keep them together…. community is essential for our wellbeing and functioning.
On top of world matters and hopeless leaders.
Surely time for a big paradigm shift and more love for each other and mother earth.
I love Lismore but climate change is real and rather than spending money on bandaids for votes some serious new solutions are nesserary and you can do it Lismore ….hang onto hope 🕉️🌏🙏
I hope Lismore Council has the courage to be forward thinking and moves the town and devasted residential homes to higher ground. We are surrounded by high ground in beautiful Lismore. How can any reasonable person expect people to keep investing their time, love and money into homes and businesses that will flood again, regardless of what may cause the flooding event. Three major floods in five years now. There are so many creative and forward thinking people here, surely we can lead the way to something new, exciting, inspiring and safe for everyone. Move Lismore to higher ground, lead the way forward, stop repeating the past!
TOTALLY AGREE WITH EVERY WORD! *I call it *common sense* not many people have got it anymore! OR EVEN. NO WHAT IS THE MEANING!
The NSW and federal governments have to do in Lismore what AnnastaciaP shamed Morrison into agreeing to in SEQ – buybacks and flood-proofing.
Otherwise these disasters will just keep happening and getting worse.
It was done in Grantham after the 2011 floods, and it’s the only way to give Lismore a safe future.
Is the LNP prepared to spend the money, or will Lismore people just be abandoned to repeating disasters?
Hi Mick,
Thanks for raising the issue of 805 & 811 Ballina rd. For those interested, please see my speeches in the chamber regarding this development along with other councillors’ reasoning.
On the Lismore City Council website:
• 14 September 2021 council meeting webcast
• 12 October 2021 rescission motion webcast
• 22 march 2022 review of previous refusal webcast
In regards to solutions post-flood, please see my reflections here:
https://www.echo.net.au/2022/05/flood-forum-reflections-were-all-in-the-same-boat/
Been told about climate change about 20 years by a green council er at the time Tom Tabart my landlord and said the temperature would rise by 20 degrees in 20 years and maybe right. These things happen as Greenland near the North Pole has no ice on it now proving that climate change is here now and the seas are warming up as well and causing storms and heavy rain even in Ghana, West Africa where I have friends there and they are having floods there now as I asked them tonight.
Geo engineering is real too. Cloud seeding has attracted quite substantial investment. In the interefering with natural weather patterns.
The way the weather has suddenly changed doesn’t smell right somehow.
We have bever had 2 huge floods so close together. We have lived in Lismore over 30yrs
Kathleen : We have not had more consecutive floods over this span of the last ” 30 years ” compared with the last Century. Lismore is NOT getting more Floods generally! It is ONLY the extreme single flood of over 14 Metres at the end of February 2022 – that is an EXCEPTION..!
Lismore had 2 Floods in 1987 of Major category. People forget, the Disastrous Flood of 1974 – also had 3 Moderate Floods in same year.!
When looking at Numbers of MAJOR Floods , that would “represent” a breach of the Levee height: There would have been 5 Floods 1870 – 1893 = 5 floods over a period of 23 yrs. Then a period 1954 – 1974 = 5 floods over a period of 20 yrs ( two of which exceeded 12 Metres ).
Also remember , prior to the Levee Wall ; even top end Moderate category Floods were trouble for hundreds of businesses in Lismore CBD.
Fact is : Lismore has NOT had more Floods in recent decades – compared with the overall official historic events , covering 150 years….