The view from Conway Street as you drive past the Lismore TAFE campus will be very, very different in 2026.

According to the DA (development application) on the Lismore City Council DA Tracking Portal, all remaining TAFE buildings will be demolished, leaving only two restored heritage-listed buildings that front Keen Street.

When Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education Steve Whan and Steve Brady, the head of TAFE for NSW, were in Lismore in January 2024, the plan was to renovate the old Ambulance Station (Building C), the old Trades School (Building E), and the former Drill Hall (Building B).

The former Drill Hall will now be demolished, along with all other surrounding buildings.

The Lismore App understands that large amounts of asbestos were discovered when the buildings were assessed.

As for the future use of the land? It is to be a large grassed area with the existing car park remaining open.

During rain events, the water will fall towards existing stormwater drains on Conway Street and Hampton Lane.

The estimated cost to demolish the buildings and create the new green space is $3.19 million.

In January 2024, the Lismore App asked the question about the size of the Lismore TAFE campus. The response from Steve Brady was that it will be slightly smaller than pre-flood.

With only two educational buildings remaining, the words 'slightly smaller' appear to be optimistic.

"We're very keen to make sure we have got a vibrant campus here that supports the local community, but we don't want to be investing in heavy equipment which is then going to be ruined when there's another event. So, we're trying to get that right balance, but what we're probably looking at is a different mix of courses and looking at courses that don't require that heavy machinery investment," Mr Brady said at the time.

The Lismore campus opened in Semester One this year with courses which included Skills for Work and Vocational Pathways, Community Pharmacy, Retail and Auslan.

Semester Two was expanded to include certificate-level courses in Visual Arts, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Arts, Hospitality and Business. There are now 23 courses run on campus.

There is also the potential for further Arts courses between TAFE and NORPA, which has purchased the former Hampton and Larson site 50 metres away.

The TAFE NSW website states that most courses are now held at the main campus at 192 Keen Street, Lismore, and that all Creative courses are run from purpose-built facilities at Southern Cross University, plus there are many courses that are run online and off campus.

You can check them out here.