Parklands, community hubs and environmental projects are some of the new options allowed for floodplains left vacant after the removal of ‘buyback’ houses on the Northern Rivers.
Labor Member for Lismore, NSW Minister for Recovery and NSW Member for the North Coast, Janelle Saffin, issued the update on the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s (RA) Resilient Homes Program in a joint statement with federal Labor counterparts on Saturday.
The state and federal ministers said the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) would work with local governments to plan the future of land flooded in the 2022 disasters, where the RA has bought houses and shifted them to higher ground.
The land won’t be allowed to be used for housing again, the statement read.
Minister Saffin said the change signalled ‘a vital new phase’.
‘We are giving this land back to the community in a way that is safe and sustainable,’ Ms Saffin said.
Commercial/industrial projects allowed in ‘specific cases’
More than 1000 parcels of land are to be integrated into local planning, the statement read, with work already progressing in key areas, including in Lismore and the Tweed Shire.
The Lismore City Council and the Tweed Shire Council each referred to vacated floodplains in recent meetings and media releases, inviting public feedback on possible future uses.
The Lismore City Council recently approved a light industrial commercial operation near the Wilsons River.
Saturday’s statement confirmed an option for commercial or industrial purposes in ‘specific cases where flood risk is strictly managed’.
Plans underway for Lismore and Tweed floodplains
Planning was underway for more than 600 properties across four precincts in the Lismore local government area, the governments said on Saturday.
Work had also started on a resilience-focused master plan for South Murwillumbah in the Tweed Shire, with a ‘specialist consultant’ appointed to lead a comprehensive design and engagement process with the local community.
Planning is to extend to buyback clusters in the Richmond Valley, Kyogle, Byron, Ballina, and Clarence Valley local government areas.
Flooded land in the NSW Central West was included in Saturday’s announcement.
Information about community consultations and project tracking is available here.
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