Locals from Goonellabah and Lindendale have called out the proposed Goonellabah industrial precinct at 1055A Bruxner Hwy (Lot1 DP957677) and 245 Oliver Ave (Lot1 DP 1285218) as being the wrong use of the site.
Residents have told The Echo that they don’t oppose development of the site (Precinct 5) but that it should be developed for housing, not as an industrial precinct.
‘We support a residential development on this site, providing much needed housing for Lismore’s flood impacted residents as well as new workers and families to the area,’ said concerned residents of Goonellabah and Lindendale who contacted The Echo.
The Lismore City Council (LCC) Affordable & Diverse Housing Strategy (2022) forecasts a 13.6 per cent increase in the number of houses required in the next 20 years. There were also around 1,800 houses either destroyed or damaged in the 2022 floods that need replacing or moving to higher ground.
‘The 350 houses proposed in the Harmony Estate development is a good start, but we could do so much more.’
In a residential area
Residents have pointed out that the proposed industrial precinct is in the middle of the suburban growth corridor for Lismore and Goonellabah saying they expect the entire area up to Alphapdale Road could all become an extension of the Goonellabah residential community, as flood free housing is needed.
‘Why risk land use conflicts now and in the future including noise, odour, dust, smoke, heavy vehicle traffic, biosecurity and more?’ they asked.
They also point out that the proposed site is on the most elevated area and is positioned along an elevated ridge so it will be visible by surrounding residential areas as well as from the Bruxner Highway.
‘Surely this will create a shameful eyesore at the gateway to Goonellabah and completely contradict the council’s intent as stated in the Harmony Estate Urban Release Area DCP… “provide a positive scenic vista along the Bruxner Highway” (1.2.1 Harmony Estate Urban Release DCP). Why not retain the high ridge across Precinct 5 for much needed housing and community green space offering vistas across Goonellabah and out to the ranges?’ suggest residents.
Industrial runoff will damage waterway
Residents have raised the fact that the runoff from the industrial estate, including stormwater, will flow directly into the south tributary of Tucki Tucki Creek.
‘Tucki Tucki Creek is identified in a number of LCC’s strategic planning documents as being an important urban green corridor and is also mapped as a key fish habitat,’ explained residents.
‘This tributary is home to platypus and supports a registered koala habitat in the immediate vicinity as well as echidna and wallaby populations not to mention a range of native flora.
‘Sudden major downfalls, like we saw on Friday, April 5, where over 200ml fell in 24hrs, and again last weekend April 20-21 that saw another 100ml fall, could result in toxic industrial waste flowing directly into the creeks in the area. The current proposal to build a 500 cubic metre holding tank and biotreatment pond will be seriously lacking in this type of weather event which could see two to four times this amount flow down this basin into the dam and creeks beyond.’
Instead, residents have suggested a ‘green zone’ similar to the one already planned for the north tributary. They say that this would ensure groundwater is free from contamination and surface water does not contain pollutants that could seriously impact the environment.
Indigenous heritage
The minimum proposed industrial lot sizes are 1,500m2 and some developments would potentially be built across multiple lots.
Three areas of potential Aboriginal Cultural Heritage significance have been identified at the site and locals say that the smaller residential development lot sizes would provide more flexibility to accommodate and protect both Aboriginal sites and the environmentally significant and vulnerable areas.
‘Just like Lismore is looking to house people for the region we need to look broadly at where the best places are to put our industrial areas. For example, the best place for a large industrial precinct might be in a neighbouring shire. We need to take a regional approach to housing and developing industrial areas to find the best solutions across the board for the region,’ said residents.
They also highlighted the fact that there is no current access to the 1055A site as this land is surrounded by either privately owned agricultural land or Tucki Tucki Creek.
‘The council is proposing to rezone 245 Oliver Avenue with the hope to acquire this land for an access point, however, the current land holder is not in agreement,’ they told The Echo.
‘The only other solution will be to build another bridge across Tucki Tucki Creek from the 1055 Bruxner Hwy lot which could be at significant cost to rate payers, considering the Oliver Avenue road and bridge project came at a cost of $14.2million.’
Site slopes over 20%
A restriction on the extension of other industrial areas has been the fact that the sites had slopes over 20 per cent as well as issues with location and access according to LCC GAR22.
‘For example, the North Lismore, Macualay Street industrial area has parts of the site with slopes of 20-33 per cent which, along with location and access, deems it unlikely for further development. However, much of Precinct 5 also consists of slopes well above 20 per cent (see map attached). How can the proposed industrial lot sizes of minimum 1,500m2 possibly be built in an area with such significant slopes? Surely smaller residential block would be more achievable.’
You can put in a submission on the proposed rezoning to industrial until May 1.
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