The Ballina Shire Council has voted to approve a controversial housing subdivision for fourteen new townhouses on land with flood risks on Ballina Island.
Cr Jeff Johnson was the only councillor to recuse himself from the vote, saying he couldn’t support killing off any squash on the Northern Rivers.
The proposed project is for land that currently features a squash court as well as a swimming pool, three houses and six trees including a native Cedar.
The developers’ plans include demolition of everything currently on site and rebuilding on fill.
Staff say medium density project in public interest
Submissions to the council on the proposal have raised concerns over various issues, including possible increased flood impacts on nearby properties, emergency evacuations and neighbourhood amenity.
Council staff noted in a comprehensive report on the development application last week they’d received 68 submissions on the most recently exhibited proposal.
The scope of the proposal had been modified compared to initial plans and although the site was theoretically big enough for 19 dwellings according to local government regulations, only 14 were proposed.
Staff recorded details of concerns and staff responses, concluding the project was in the public interest.
They said there was a demand for but a lack of supply of smaller dwellings in Ballina such as those designed for the land on Ballina Island’s Norton and Camden Streets.
Too late to escape the flood? Head upstairs.
Flooding was a key issue, staff noted, with Ballina Island being a ‘flood storage area’ and the subject land ‘in a low lying part of that overall Richmond River floodplain area.’
Staff said the land was in a ‘medium risk area’ and wasn’t subject to ‘high velocity flows’.
Nearby resident Ian Rankin has previously told The Echo changes made to plans for ‘Norton Breeze’ are a token gesture.
Mr Rankin said last week said he was meeting with A Ward councillors and the Ballina mayor ahead of the July ordinary council meeting to discuss his concerns.
Earlier this year he said local flood assessments needed upgrading in the wake of the 2022 floods, whereby North Creek flooded nearby lands and a described ‘rain bomb’ event affected the neighbourhood.
Staff said in their responses to submissions they were satisfied the development met all flood risk criteria and that in the event of any subsequent legal action, the council was insured.
The council’s flood planning policy has been established ‘based on relevant State Government policy and modelling specific to Ballina Shire,’ staff noted.
‘Flood modelling and DCP flood controls are contemporary and appropriate,’ staff said.
‘It is relevant that land filled to minimum fill levels and homes built to design floor levels consistent with DCP flood controls were not inundated in the February 2022 flood event.’
Risks were mitigated by the increasing addition of fill all over Ballina Island, staff said, and the amount of time residents ought to have in the event of a flood warning owing to their downstream location.
Residents would be able to retreat to their second levels if necessary, they said.
Designs were for two storey, three bedroom units with balconies and court yards.
If it’s flooded, forget it (flushing the toilet)
One submission raised the matter of sewage.
Some residents’ toilets had overflown in the last flood, the submission noted, would this happen again?
Staff said residents could put bungs or ‘backflow prevention devices’ on their toilets but that if a sewage line was flooded, toilets wouldn’t work.
As for the removal of the six trees including the old Cedar tree, staff said the tree couldn’t be saved if the land was to be developed for medium density development.
The proposal included landscaping that would soften impacts on those that backed onto the development, staff said, as well as for the new residents, with fencing to give privacy to both parties.
Staff recommended councillors approve the ‘Norton Breeze’ DA, with councillors present voting unanimously in support after Cr Johnson recused himself.
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