The Diocese of Lismore is investing $27 million in the Lismore CBD, including a new 29-townhouse complex and a new Catholic School Education Office in Keen and Orion Street.

In August 2023, the Diocese of Lismore announced it would build a new private hospital opposite the Lismore Base Hospital, establishing the Uralba Street area as Lismore and the Northern Rivers health precinct.

“Our vision is to see a new private hospital created, surrounded by a thriving community of healthcare professionals providing cutting-edge specialist medical services,” said Greg Isaac, Diocesan Business Manager for the Diocese of Lismore at the time. 

“It is our unique history as a cornerstone of the community that has inspired us to think beyond the present day about how the growing and changing needs of our community will be best met for the next hundred years.” 

That thinking has naturally led to discussions and plans to house the many doctors, nurses and medical staff needed to run the hospital when it is open.

The proposed site is 9,172 square metres and borders both Keen Street and Orion Street (to the left of the roundabout). The site slopes down towards Coleman Street (near the Molesworth Street roundabout, where the old greyhound track operated pre-flood). There is an area of vacant land with shipping containers.

The top of the site is surrounded by overgrown plants and weeds, with two houses on the site. The house on Orion Street will remain (shown above); however, the house with a Keen Street entrance will be removed.

The development application (DA) says the 29-unit dwellings will be of modular design, so transportable. Fifteen (15) of the 29 will be stand-alone, and there will be a mix of 1-bedroom (5), 2-bedroom (16) and 3-bedroom town homes (8).

It is proposed that 48 parking spaces be provided near Coleman Street, with driveway access from Keen Street and Orion Street. There will be a communal BBQ area and landscaping works.

The DA says the proposal is being lodged as a fast-track DA to enable the residential housing to be available in the immediate future.

"The DA is modular in architectural design and therefore movable, providing a short-term solution to the Lismore affordability and housing crisis following on from the claustrophobic flooding event in February 2022." 

As for the impact of the 29 townhouses when a flood hits Lismore, a flood impact assessment was undertaken for a 1 in 100-year flood (1%AEP) plus climate change and included mapping for a probable maximum flood.

The results of the assessment demonstrate that the proposed Units 1 – 24 are flood-free during the 1%AEP_CC design event, and Units 25- 29 will have a maximum depth within the lot of 0.42- 1.58m (Figure 7) and a velocity of 0.01-0.05 m/s. 

(An aerial view of the new development)

There would be some land flood-free in the event of a PMF, at around 17 metres.

The new Catholic School Education Office has no documentation available to view at this stage. The DA points to a change of use for the old Trinity Catholic College site that fronts Dawson Street with Keen Street access. This DA is estimated to cost $8.4 million.

The Diocese of Lismore has been doing some serious planning in the last 2 years in and around the CBD, with Trinity moving to Southern Cross University for the next five years.

One of the big unanswered questions is what will happen to the old Trinity Catholic College across Leycester Street?

One step at a time.