One key element of recovery for business owners and/or managers in the Lismore floodplain after the 2022 floods was to rebuild better—to reconstruct their buildings so that when the next major flood hits our city, the 'closed' sign is only hanging on the front door for a few days, not a few weeks.

To that extent, Living Lab Northern Rivers is inviting businesses and service providers to a design workshop where people can explore strategies for making Lismore’s floodplain business districts better prepared for future flood events.

The Living Lab has acknowledged that many businesses have done great work making their spaces more flood resilient and have developed better preparedness and evacuation plans. But ask, what can we do together?

This workshop will explore the question and come up with ideas that will make the Lismore floodplain business areas better prepared for future flooding. 

“We really want to showcase what community-led practice can do and how far it can go, and illuminate Lismore as a world-class leader in resilience. We also want to get on the ground outcomes for people operating on the floodplain in quite challenging circumstances,” said Zerina Millard, Community Engagement Lead, Living Lab Northern Rivers.

“When we talk about a flood-resilient building, a lot of people think this sounds really technical and a bit intimidating. But when we talked with local businesses and community service providers and visited their facilities, we found out that it is often pretty straightforward.”

The Living Lab team will explore ideas around flood-free land for temporary retreat and storage, utilising empty floodplain land for vehicle storage, and other innovative solutions. Now is the time to investigate the infrastructure and commercial precincts needed to support businesses in these flood-prone areas.  

Dan Etheridge, Engagement Director, Living Lab Northern Rivers, said, “We’ve heard ideas from local business owners about the types of facilities they would find useful, and these facilities might only be used once every ten years. So we also want to explore how we can meet the needs of businesses and service providers in these critical times, but also how such facilities could contribute to the Lismore region the rest of the time.”

If you’re a Lismore-based business or community service provider operating on the floodplain, the Living Lab team ask you to join them in shaping a future where Lismore businesses can withstand and adapt to the challenges of floods.  

The Details:  

Not Business as Usual: A workshop for a flood-resilient Lismore  

When: Monday, 5 May, between 4.30pm and 7.00pm  

Where: Living Lab Northern Rivers shopfront, 11 Woodlark Street, Lismore. 

Find out more and register here.