Ideas are being sought for the future use of 50 hectares of land in Lismore. Announced in late September by the NSW Reconstruction Authority, the Lismore Precinct Plan is a partnership between the State Government and Lismore City Council. The plan will be developed from early 2026 with the aim of re-purposing 500 blocks of land across Lismore that have been identified as high-risk for future flooding.
These properties were voluntarily purchased by the NSW Reconstruction Authority through the Home Buyback Program and deemed no longer suitable for housing. Ownership will be transferred to Lismore City Council for rezoning. Ongoing demolition and relocation of dwellings has left noticeable empty stretches across the region, leading to much speculation about how the newly vacant land could be used.
The Plan seeks to address uncertainty in the community, with opportunities for planners, engineers and other specialists to join the project opening soon. Community consultation will take place throughout 2026 through a mix of in-person and online forums, with details to be announced later this year.
“Planning for the future use of this land must be carefully and sensitively managed, and the voices of the whole community – those who live, work and own businesses there – will be central to the process,”
Lismore MP and Minister for Recovery Janelle Saffin said.
While buybacks, demolitions and relocations continue across the region, this announcement signals a shift toward planning what comes next for flood-weary Lismore. “The Lismore Precinct Plan is a crucial milestone in the recovery of our city and our community as we build in resilience to future weather events,” Lismore Mayor Steven Krieg said.
The announcement has been met with mixed responses. Local organisation Reclaim Our Recovery (ROR) has raised concerns about the process. “It must draw from a broad section of community and in particular from local expertise and First Nations knowledge,” ROR representative Miriam Torzillo said. “It must involve community in decision-making, not just filling in surveys and attending poorly conducted community forums like those run as part of the CSIRO Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative.”
She added that the conversation must be about more than whether development should occur:
“These community decisions will affect the cultural and social life of the community as well as the long-term resilience and emergence of this community and place. It has to be more than a conversation about zoning and rates and infrastructure, but about the health of the natural environment that sustains us.”
Examples from other cities offer insight into the complexity of repurposing buyback land. North of the border, Brisbane and Ipswich have well-advanced buyback programs and similarly sized areas earmarked for rezoning. Brisbane City Council has committed to converting its acquired land into green spaces. While many houses have been demolished, very little development has taken place due to the scattered nature of the sites, making it difficult to create large contiguous parks—an issue Lismore may also face.
Ipswich has faced similar challenges. In November 2024, Mayor Teresa Harding announced that buyback land would be rezoned as non-occupied green zones, with residents given two weeks to provide feedback. However, in September this year, the mayor conceded that the council is reluctant to develop these sites due to potential liability in future floods. Attention has since turned toward transforming the land into bushland reserves.
Lismore’s redevelopment efforts will begin with the CBD, followed by North, South and East Lismore. Suggested uses for the land so far include public parks, recreation facilities, local food production, light industry and rainforest regeneration.
What ultimately emerges on this land will depend not only on planning priorities but also on whether the wider community is genuinely included in shaping the future.
