The Lennox Kinvara Action Group is calling for email submissions to Ballina Shire Council to stop the development of thousands of houses in a sensitive, flood-prone area, as the full scale of what’s planned becomes better known.
Their latest statement says, ‘Most locals think Saltwood at Kinvara is a 300-home subdivision. It isn’t. Stage 1 is the start of the much larger Cumbalum Urban Release Area B (CURA B), a 440-hectare site planned for up to 2,500 lots over 15 to 20 years. It is potentially the biggest development ever proposed in the Ballina Shire.
‘For comparison, Epiq in Lennox Head has 450 homes. This proposed development is five times larger. At full scale it will be twice the size of Bangalow.’
The developer’s website about the Saltwood@Kinvara development is here.
Not against housing
The Lennox Kinvara Action Group (LKAG) says concerned locals are not against housing, in appropriate locations, ‘but are asking whether this specific site, a known flood-sensitive area with major drainage, access, infrastructure, environmental and contamination questions, is the right place for a development of this size?’
They say that if the development can’t be stopped, then it must be done properly.
‘That means protecting the people already living here, and protecting the people who may one day call this place home.
‘Future residents deserve to know the land they are buying into is safe. At this stage, there are still serious unresolved questions that need proper answers.’
Key concerns include
• Scale, infrastructure and emergency services: up to 2,500 homes could mean an estimated 5,000–7,000 additional residents and thousands of extra vehicles over time. This would place long-term pressure on roads, stormwater, schools, parks, health services, emergency services, sewer, water and other local infrastructure. Can Ballina’s infrastructure and emergency response capacity genuinely cope with a development of this scale?
• Major earthworks and fill: the proposal involves cutting into the hillside to generate fill and placing approximately 1.1 million cubic metres of fill in a flood-sensitive area. That is about 450 Olympic pools of soil in a natural drainage basin. This would permanently alter the landscape and natural drainage patterns. LKAG says clear answers are needed about how this may affect flood behaviour, water displacement, downstream drainage and surrounding properties, with the disturbance of acid sulfate soils a major concern.
• Drainage and tidal gate issues: locals know this area already floods and that the existing drainage system struggles during heavy rain, high tides and flood events. The drainage plan must clearly demonstrate that the development will not make existing flooding, water back-up, drainage pressure or low-lying impacts worse. LKAG says if this can’t be guaranteed, or at least independently proven with transparent modelling, approval should not be rushed.
• Environment, wildlife and water quality: wetlands, waterways, Ballina Nature Reserve, native animals, habitat corridors, acid sulfate soils, runoff and long-term water quality impacts all need proper scrutiny. LKAG says the planned project would clear over 85 hectares of native vegetation, including 155 koala feed trees.
• Contamination and future residents: there are unresolved questions about the former cattle dip and arsenic-related contamination. Future residents deserve certainty that the land they may one day live on is safe, and that any contamination risks have been fully investigated, answered and independently assessed before approval is granted.
Call to action
While the ultimate decision about these developments will not be made by Ballina Council, but by the Northern Regional Planning Panel, local government does have a role in what happens next, and community feedback has an important role to play in that, so LKAG are now requesting that concerned, educated citizens make an email submission to Council.
They ask that people write submissions in their own words, and stick to the real issues (flooding, drainage, earthworks, access, evacuation, infrastructure, environment, contamination and future safety).
LKAG also ask that submission writers be specific, and include lived experience.
‘Attach evidence if you have it: photos of flooding, water movement, road closures, traffic congestion, wildlife, habitat, drainage issues, water pooling, cattle dip history or the site itself. You do not need to be an engineer, planner or lawyer.
‘Local knowledge matters.’
Stop the clock
There is currently a ‘Stop the Clock’ on this DA, meaning Ballina Shire Council has requested further information from the developer.
The Lennox Kinvara Action Group says there is urgency for the community to put forward submissions now (before the end of May), as the action window may move again once the developer responds.
‘Please also ask Ballina Shire Council to provide a full public re-exhibition of DA2025/418/1 once the developer responds to the current “Stop the Clock” matters,’ they request.
‘Why? Because these pauses involve critical issues including flooding, drainage, earthworks, acid sulfate soils, environmental impacts and contamination questions. If new or changed technical information is submitted, the community deserves a fair opportunity to review it and respond before any decision is made.
‘Explain how this development could affect you, your property, your road access, your safety, your business, your environment, your family or your community.’
The DA documents (DA2025/418/1) are available here.
Email objections can be made to: [email protected], referencing DA 2025/418/1 in the subject line. LKAG is also suggesting that concerned locals write to their local councillors to establish where they stand on the development. Their contact details are all publicly available here.
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The agenda for Thursday's meeting includes six notices of motion from four councillors, with issues including missing persons, volunteer recognition, and arts funding. Construction on a $4.35 million flood-resilience upgrade of Ross Lane at Lennox Head is due to begin today, ahead of a nine-week closure of the busy road later this month. With Ballina Shire Council General Manager Paul Hickey deciding to retire after almost twenty years in the role, and even longer as a staff member, the task of finding a replacement has begun. Cr Damien Loone was also returned as Deputy Mayor after Cr Simon Chate withdrew his nomination. September's meeting opened with a minute's silence for much-loved community member and Lennox Head restaurant owner Blake Rogers, who lost his life last week. Fresh from winning pre-selection as the Nationals candidate for the state seat of Ballina, the 'independent' first-term Ballina councillor Michelle Bailey has put forward a notice of motion asking Council to scrap its fixed 2030 net-zero target in favour of what she describes as a 'flexible sustainability strategy'.
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