Lismore City Council has voted to accept the former Lismore greyhound track site at 1 Molesworth Street as a gift from Greyhound Racing NSW, following Tuesday's council meeting.

Greyhound Racing NSW has confirmed greyhound racing will no longer be conducted from the venue, and the site has not operated since the major flooding events of February and March 2022.

At Tuesday's meeting, the vote was 10/1, with only Councillor (Cr) Adam Guise against as most saw the gift as a huge opportunity for Lismore.

Cr Jeri Hall described the vote as "A no-brainer", while Cr Gordon said, "This is a great, great opportunity for our community".

Cr Guise didn't have faith in council to do the right thing by the community. He expressed concerns about the land potentially being "sold off" and asked for "consultation of the local mob" given its Aboriginal heritage.

To ensure transparency and keep options open, Council will now complete the usual property and risk checks, classify the land as Operational land under the Local Government Act, and run a 30-day Expression of Interest process.

Council does not have an immediate use for the site, which is why an open Expression of Interest will be used to test realistic, flood-aware proposals.

The process will invite submissions from organisations and businesses, including options such as leasing or licensing the site, partnering with Council, or other feasible arrangements.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg said the decision was about practical stewardship and open decision-making.

“This is a chance to regain control of a flood-impacted site in a prominent location, but we're not announcing a pre-made plan,” he said.

 “We’ll do our due-diligence checks, invite credible ideas from the community and market, and bring the options back to Council for a decision in public.”

Submissions will be assessed, and a report on viable options, including any financial risks identified through the checks, will be presented to Council for a decision at a future meeting.

The Expression of Interest will be publicly advertised and will outline what information proponents need to provide.

Further details, including timeframes and submission information, will be published once the preliminary checks are underway.

Next steps:

• Complete property and risk checks
• Classify the land as Operational land
• Open a 30-day Expression of Interest
• Assess submissions and report options to Council