There is no better news on Good Friday than good news, especially for the Lismore community.

Yesterday, Mayor Steve Krieg and Graham Snow, Lismore City Council's Head of Planning and Environment, proudly declared that $46 million worth of development applications (DA's) had been approved in March.

To give you an indication of how positive that number is, the mayor said council usually approves $100 million worth of DA's in a year.

The announcement was made in the Eastwood Estate in Goonellabah, where council approved 176 new sites for Stage 2. For those who have seen the progress made in the Eastwood Estate, it is worth a drive during the Easter Break as it has already become its own area with hundreds of houses built and more being built.

"We've also got 1055, Bruxner Highway up there as well, which has been approved by Council, which is another 400 residential sites, light commercial and industrial as well. Lismore is really being seen by these external investors as a place of opportunity, and it is not come by accident. It's through the outstanding work of Graham and his team at Lismore City Council," Mayor Krieg said..

"Three or four years ago, we were known as one of the worst councils to deal with, not only in the region but in the state. One hundred eighty (180) days to get a DA approved for a shed just wasn't good enough. Graham has come to Lismore 18 months ago and literally reformed how we do DA's, and we are starting to see the benefits of that work.

Graham Snow explained the simple changes made to council's DA approval system, which has seen a basic DA, such as a shed, approved within a week instead of 18 months, and using the same staff.

"I've spoken about before, about setting up a fast track system so people can get those sheds out in a week instead of, you know, like six months. And what that does to an economy is it actually completely transforms the place where people have that confidence to come in here, and they can go, Great, I can build, and I can deliver."

The old system Graham adopted two years ago, when he arrived from Kempsey, comprised the date the DA was lodged. As they came in, they were put at the bottom of the pile of DA's to be assessed.

The new system is to triage each DA when it is lodged. The basic shed and retaining wall DA's are looked at and approved within a day if they meet council regulations. The more complex DA's, which were bogging down all other DA's, are assessed separately within the planning team.

Other projects of significance that were approved in March, were the controversial North Lismore Plateau development, the Living School's DA in the CBD on Woodlark Street, the $8.5 million worth of office space which will be built by the Diocese of Lismore, along with the $19 million construction of townhouse accommodation on Keen and Orion Street and the $2.7 million redevelopment of the Rekindling the Spirit building on Uralba Street.

The larger DA projects were explained in more detail.

NORTH LISMORE PLATEAU

Graham Snow explained that council worked with the developer for two years to amend the statement of facts and contentions from the Land and Environment Court following its assessment of the 727 site lot. This involved access, geotech, stormwater, and more issues.

The updated DA will go to the Land and Environment Court on June 1st. If the technical side is positively assessed, the only obstacle will be a cultural one.

"There's what you'd call Allura, which people call North Lismore Plateau, and then there's the Winten development, which is the RA (NSW Reconstruction Authority). You can see the lots are carved already for the RA one."

Graham is referring to the 80 blocks announced by the RA at the bottom of the North Lismore Plateau.

REKINDLING THE SPIRIT

The DA was granted for the reconstruction and expansion of the existing community facility.

The building will feature a permanent artwork that tells the story of people and place, intricately woven into the design via a perforated screen fabric reflective in the colour of nature's palette.

A storytelling façade, positioned away from the main structure, will help mitigate western heat load while symbolically embodying the narrative of the echidna and the vision and purpose of ‘Rekindling.’

The curved form of the façade evokes the meandering lines of the river, providing privacy from the street and enhancing the internal environment through thoughtfully designed landscaped planters.

In collaboration with Widjabul Wia-bal artists, Indigenous artwork and plantings will be incorporated throughout the façade, interiors, and surrounding landscape. This integration will serve as a catalyst for empowerment and support for everyone who interacts with the development. 

ST MARY'S BUSINESS PARK OFFICES

The DA says it is the reuse and adaptation of the College and an opportunity to create a vibrant, sustainable and long-term commercial hub for Lismore.

A total of 2866 m2 of office space is provided within the development.

Substantial facade and streetscape upgrades are provided.

The development also took the opportunity to provide connection and interlinkage with adjoining significant heritage sites, which is viewed as a significant urban design contribution to the area.

Doyle House, St Carthage’s Cathedral, Presentation House and the subject development will have an interconnected courtyard space to the rear of the cathedral, anticipated to be a space of significant quality from an urban design, historic and architectural perspective.

TOWNHOUSE DEVELOPMENT KEEN AND ORION STREET

Approved on March 5, the development consists of 29 dwellings on a rare, elevated site within the Lismore CBD.

The development is considered significant in relation to its CBD activation potential and replacement of lost housing stock.

THE LIVING SCHOOL ON WOODLARK STREET

The significant development of the Living School in the Lismore CBD is in its final stages of approval.

The DA has been approved by Lismore City Council planners, and it has now been submitted to the Regional Planning Panel because of its value, which is between $10 and $30 million in regional areas of NSW.

Mayor Steve Krieg was delighted that Lismore is on the verge of a construction boom.

"One of the reasons we put our ticket together originally in 2021 was because these things weren't getting approved. There was no growth in this area, and as a community, we felt really restricted and held back, which is the reason we put our hand up for council in the first place.

"Now, it's taken us a little bit of time to get to this point. It's about having the right people in the right positions, as Graham said, but getting people like Graham who want to come to Lismore and make a difference is amazing.

"We've dealt with the flood. We all know the impact that that's had. We've dealt with the cyclone. We've all know the impact that that's had. But to see the work that's gone in behind the scenes, people have said many, many times, what have you actually done to make Lismore a more resilient place, a safer place? Well, you can't do much more than open up some 1600 brand-new, flood-free home sites.

"But on top of that, the commercial land, the industrial land, the office space, the people who want to come to Lismore to invest their money. We're talking about all sorts of different groups wanting to set up their business in Lismore, and now we can provide the housing for their staff.

"It's going to reinvigorate. It's going to regenerate. We've been the slowest growing regional centre in New South Wales for two decades, and we're going to leapfrog everyone else and become the fastest growing regional city in New South Wales, with developments like this coming online. So it's really exciting."