Lismore has seen a number of its Big Scrub homes demolished since the 2022 floods and this Saturday, May 10 concerned residents and locals are taking to the streets to protest their demolition at the Lismore Transit Centre, 43/49 Magellan Street at 11am.
‘The people of Lismore were promised a community-led recovery and that our old timber homes would be relocated wherever possible. Instead, we’re seeing sound timber homes left to rot on the floodplain or being bulldozed during a housing crisis. This is not a recovery, it’s waste, and it’s harm,’ said local Greens Member of the NSW Legislative Council, Sue Higginson.
The protestors are calling for ‘better outcomes for our floodplain community’ and real solutions not greenwashing’.
Fifty-five homes have reportedly already been demolished across the Northern Rivers with another 65 scheduled for demolition by mid-2025 by the NSW Reconstruction Authority (NSW RA).
Move homes to flood free land
Ms Higginason told The Echo that, ‘It’s time to deliver the recovery our region was promised, not one built on broken commitments and unnecessary destruction.
‘The government must urgently work with the Council and the community to move relocatable homes to flood-free land. They must pause the demolitions, support the deconstruction and material recovery, and commit to a sustainable, circular economy approach that respects the community, the environment, and the desperate need for housing.’
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. 
