The long-awaited Clunes Master Plan will be tabled at the first Lismore City Council meeting of the year, on Tuesday 10 February.
The staff report reads, ‘In August 2025, Council supported public exhibition of the draft Clunes Master Plan, with any submissions to be reported back to Council for consideration prior to adoption. The consultation period provided valuable community feedback and has directly informed the changes made to the finalised Clunes Master Plan’.
‘The adopted Clunes Master Plan will provide a clear and coordinated framework to guide future development and decision-making in and around the village of Clunes, providing certainty while ensuring alignment with community aspirations and Council’s broader strategic objectives.
Staff say a total of 107 survey responses were received on Lismore’s Your Say website , 65 written submissions, as well as the feedback captured through stakeholder meetings.
‘Recurring topics were tallied to identify the most frequently raised issues, while thematic coding grouped comments into the following key themes:
‘Scale and Pace of Growth: Strong concern about overdevelopment and speculative projects, with support instead for gentle infill within the existing village footprint and a preference for staged growth aligned with infrastructure capacity.
‘Environmental Protection and Biodiversity: Biodiversity remained a high community priority, with concerns about proposed growth areas overlapping wildlife corridors and habitats, calls for ground-truth mapping and enforceable protections, requests for appropriate buffer zones around waterways, and worries about the loss of productive agricultural land, (highlighted by multiple flora and fauna sites identified through interactive mapping).
‘Roads, Traffic and Safety: Opposition to replacing cul-de-sacs with through-roads (highlighted by a 61-signature petition), alongside calls for roundabouts at key junctions, ongoing safety concerns in the Main Street and intersections, worries about Council’s capacity to manage increased traffic and road maintenance, and general support for the proposed traffic calming and pedestrian crossing.
‘Community Infrastructure and Amenities: Strong support for public amenities and community spaces, with opposition to selling Smith Street Reserve and calls for a dedicated sports field’.
‘Sewerage Infrastructure and Costs: Residents oppose mandatory sewerage connections,
prefer on-site systems, and want developers to fully fund infrastructure amid unclear plant
location and funding details.
‘Village Character and Identity: Concern regarding loss of character, which is perceived as tied to the existing size of the village.
‘Consultation Process and Transparency: The Master Plan was criticised as too vague, lacking detail on key issues, with calls for further consultation and concerns over its legitimacy and endorsement process by the Community Reference Group.
‘Affordable and Diverse Housing: Support for housing diversity but scepticism about
affordability.
‘Developer Contributions and Equity: Residents want developers to fully fund infrastructure,
citing vague contribution plans and past failures, and are calling for enforceable obligations and greater transparency.
‘Risk, Resilience and Emergency Access: Importance of planning for flood, bushfire, and emergency access.
‘Changes to the Master Plan as a result of the consultation
Staff write, ‘In response to community input, the finalised Clunes Master Plan provides clearer growth pathways, strengthened environmental protections, enhanced village safety and amenity, and delivers greater certainty around implementation’.
The changes directly address community feedback by focusing on the scale and pacing of growth, environmental priorities, and infrastructure clarity. Growth will occur through staged delivery, supported by defined zoning options such as R5 or RU5 eco-village pathways. Biodiversity and waterways are prioritised through the creation of an Urban Green Corridor, and clearer articulation of protection areas and buffer intent. Safety and connectivity improvements include traffic calming measures, pedestrian crossings, footpaths, and intersection upgrades, to be determined in partnership with TfNSW, while avoiding excessive vehicle through roads.
‘Enhancements to amenities and open space include a program of upgrades and an indicative location for a sports field, alongside a commitment to preserving valued reserves. Sewerage and cost considerations are addressed by confirming that Council will not pursue sewer feasibility for the existing homes, reflecting the desire for retention of village-scale growth’, staff say.
Draft Code of Meeting Practice
Other items considered at the meeting will be a vote on the Draft Code of Meeting Practice, which has public submissions included for consideration and adoption.
All NSW councils are required to adopt a state-wide template, as prescribed by the The Office of Local Government (OLG).
The staff report reads, The Office of Local Government (OLG) has released a new Model Code of Meeting Practice (the Model) which is prescribed under section 360 of the Local Government Act 1993 (the Act) and the Local Government (General) Regulation 2021 (the Regulation).
‘The Draft Lismore City Council Code of Meeting Practice (COMP) incorporates the mandatory provisions of the Model prescribed by the Regulation. In addition to this, the Model allows councils to include optional and supplementary provisions if they choose.
‘A council adopted meeting code must not contain provisions inconsistent with the mandatory provisions.
‘To date no response has been received from the Minister or the OLG to letters sent by the Mayor following the November resolution’.
To see the agenda visit https://www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/Council/Council-and-committee-meetings-schedule/Council-meeting-minutes-and-agendas
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