The ordinary Lismore City Council meeting was to be held on Tuesday, March 11; however, due to the aftermath of Tropical Cyclone Alfred it was postponed to today (Tuesday, March 25).

The top item on the agenda is the Eastwood Estate Development Application (DA) for Precinct 2.

Eastwood Estate is a popular residential estate running off Invercauld Road, Goonellabah, near Invercauld House.

The McCloy Group began developing land for 136 homesites in mid-2019 when it purchased a 21-hectare parcel of land. Precinct 1 first went on the market in early 2023.

In January 2021, the McCloy Group purchased a further 37 hectares that adjoined Precinct 1, then lodged a DA with Lismore City Council for another 203 new residential lots later that same year.

Council refused the DA on the grounds relating to environmental impacts, the suitability of the site for the development and the public interest.

The McCloy Group appealed the decision to the Land and Environment Court and lost the appeal on two primary grounds:

1. Practical retention of certain koala food trees (KFT’s) during the development of the site was unlikely, due to works in the vicinity of those trees, and so certain KFTs should have been considered removed by proxy; and
2. Stormwater management goals and measures were not satisfactorily achieved.

Two additional potential issues existed, they were:

1. Potential geotechnical and groundwater impacts associated with infiltration pits, that were proposed in an attempt to resolve the stormwater contention (above); and
2. Insufficient provision of parklands and amenity for future residents.

The McCloy Group has gone back to the drawing board and redesigned Precinct 2 to include a reduction in the number of residential sites from 203 to 176, plus three parks/reserves.

Council staff provided a summary of the primary design changes made to resolve previous issues, they are:

• Arborist Report investigates every retained tree individually and provides bespoke measures for each tree to ensure their protection and long-term retention.
• Stormwater detention has been split across three (3) basins to decentralise flows and minimise downstream impacts. Stormwater infrastructure has been relocated upslope, entirely out of the C3 Environmental Management Zone. Further water sensitive urban design measures have been incorporated (see ‘Stormwater’ for details).
• The revised stormwater design negates the need for the any infiltration pits, and so the pits were deleted from the proposal. Additionally, groundwater analysis has been prepared that ensures maintenance of groundwater flows; suitable permeability; and appropriate diversion (see ‘Groundwater and Geotechnical’ for details).
• Suitable parks and reserves have been included in the amended design, sufficient to meet the needs of the local community

All residential lots exceed the minimum lot size of 400 sqm. Lot sizes are medium-to-large, in the context of contemporary residential subdivision. The proposed residential lots range from 400 sqm to over 1,000 sqm in area. Approximately 40% of the proposed lots are within the 600sqm to 900sqm range.

The insufficient parklands have been addressed, so now include two distinct parks/reserves. The first is the Local Park, located on the lower side of a new road. It will include children’s play equipment, covered picnic table seating, and level grassed areas for ball games, picnics, etc. This park will also be appropriately landscaped and will include a sculpture (as delivered in Eastwood Precent 1). The Local Park is on the fringe of the C3 Environmental Management area and will enjoy a natural environmental setting.

The second is the Local Reserve. The primary purpose of the Local Reserve is for the protection of threatened species. However, it is also designed as a short nature walk through the estate. A raised timber walkway will be provided over the protected groundcover species, along with signage identifying the purpose of the reserve and the species within.

The Biodiversity Report addressed the removal of koala food trees (KFT's). It said the development would retain all KFT's across the site, and limit ree removal to 18 native trees and 3 hollows-bearing trees.

It also said that mitigation measures have been proposed to ensure long-term protection of the retained KFTs, and to compensate for the reduced accessibility of those KFTs that will be located within the new urban area. The proposal has demonstrated compliance with the Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management.

Council’s Ecologist reviewed the application and is supportive of the proposal on biodiversity grounds. The proposal is compliant with the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016; the Biodiversity & Conservation SEPP; the CKPoM; and LDCP 2012, Chapter 14 - Vegetation Protection.

In summary, council staff said, "The proposal will have positive social and economic outcomes, delivering flood-free residential lots that will allow for additional housing in the greater Lismore urban area. This is especially important in context of Lismore’s current post-flood housing shortage, providing opportunity for replacement of necessary housing-stock that was lost in the 2022 disaster. It is recommended that this Development Application be determined as Approved, subject to appropriate conditions of consent."

One would expect this DA not to be approved as a unanimous vote from all councillors, given its proximity to Gundurimba Creek and the presence of KFT's, even if Lismore has a severe housing problem.

The Lismore City Council meeting will get underway at 10am today (Tuesday), with Public Speakers to address councillors from 9am. This can be viewed through council's Facebook page.