NSW unlocks land for flood-resilient housing
A new program has freed up land that will expedite the delivery of up to 1,000 disaster-resilient homes for families in the Grafton area.
This announcement marks the seventh land release of the state government’s $100 million Resilient Lands Program (RLP) which, alongside the joint state and Commonwealth funded $790 million Resilient Homes Program, are providing “safer choices for people to live in the Northern Rivers after the 2022 floods”.
Speaking on the release, Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, said: “It is critical that communities are assisted in building resilience to natural disasters.”
“In the Northern Rivers, housing stress and homelessness remain high. More than 16,000 households are paying more than 30 per cent of their gross income on housing,” he detailed.
The NSW government said land in Junction Hill has been released, with further sites being identified in East Lismore, Goonellabah, North Lismore, Brunswick Heads, Casino and Lennox Heads-Ballina.
Notably, Scully stated that “with this land release, up to 4,300 flood-resilient home sites are being created and are in the planning pipeline across the Northern Rivers”.
Minister for Regional Transport and Roads, Jenny Aitchison, said the government is “committed to collaborative development through the Resilient Lands strategy to ensure people in the Northern Rivers have safer homes that are connected to health services, education, jobs and other opportunities”.
The state government further relayed that a “memorandum of understanding between the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA), Transport for NSW and the Clarence Valley Council” will determine transport infrastructure improvements for the Junction Hill site near Grafton, marking a “vital step to supporting growth and more homes for the region”.
“Good transport infrastructure and connectivity is vital for the success of new housing developments, particularly in the regions, and the release of land at Junction Hill will provide that,” Aitchison commented.
Further details were also provided around the Resilient Lands strategy, which included additional sites in Murwillumbah, Goonellabah and Kyogle, and was described as “underpinning” the NSW government’s commitment to accelerating the supply of land for Northern Rivers residents impacted by the 2022 floods.
The state government highlighted that the Resilient Land strategy drew upon a “process of community consultation and expert peer review” which began in late 2022 and identified more than 300 potential housing sites under an EOI process.
With the strategy designed to “complement, not replace, current land releases and other housing developments in the region”, the NSW RA relayed they will work with “councils, land owners, infrastructure providers and a range of delivery partners to accelerate land and housing developments as quickly as possible”.
Commenting on the strategy, Minister for Emergency Services, Jihad Dib, said: “The Resilient Lands Program will accelerate the delivery of new land and housing to provide locals with more options in safer locations.”
“We know this requires a team effort, and I am pleased to see the collaboration between government agencies and councils to bring the reality of more housing closer for people in the Northern Rivers,” he said.