The fate of nine flood buyback houses in Lismore previously occupied by squatters has been announced by the NSW Labor government.
The occupation of the homes gained national attention earlier in the year, which led to the government taking the matter to court.
The ABC reported that ‘A two-year stand-off between squatters occupying flood buyback homes and the NSW government has ended with sheriffs seizing multiple properties’.
‘The squatters were given 20 minutes to remove their essential belongings from 10 homes in Lismore and Mullumbimby, which were then boarded up’.
In today’s statement by NSW Minister for Recovery, and Lismore MP, Janelle Saffin, she says following a detailed assessment of the properties by the NSW Reconstruction Authority, ‘Four of the houses will be relocated, four demolished, and one repurposed for social housing’.
She says, ‘The houses were purchased under the landmark Resilient Homes Program (RHP), marking an important step in the region’s recovery from the catastrophic 2022 floods’.
The Echo reported in January that ‘There are more than 20 RHP homes that have been illegally occupied and they say they have been working with occupants to find alternative accommodation’.
Saffin says, ‘After the eviction of the illegal occupants in August, the NSW Reconstruction Authority commissioned several independent assessments of the houses, assessing hazardous contamination, property condition, structural integrity and their ability to be relocated’.
The four Pine Street homes which were found to be structurally unsound, she said, were not suitable for relocation, ‘so will be demolished’.
‘The relocation of four houses – 70 Pine Street, 64 Pine Street, 166-172 Lake Street and 15 Little Keen Street – to a holding yard will start on Monday, 29 September and take approximately two weeks.
‘The houses will be then become part of a future batch of the highly successful buyback auction program which has seen 80 properties find new owners in the region’’.
Mullumbimby home repurposed for social housing
Saffin added, ‘A previously illegally occupied home in Mullumbimby has been assessed as suitable for use as a residence and will be repurposed for social housing, providing safe and secure accommodation for those in need’.
Activist Al Oshlack, told The Echo, ‘After expensive Supreme Court litigation where the squatters were evicted, it’s been four months’.
‘And what was a vibrant community, with well kept homes with gardens etc, the homes now sit vandalised and desolated. It’s disgusting. These houses were habitable…’
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