Dwelling Entitlement Exemption: Facilitating House Relocations in Lismore

Lismore City Council has received an exemption from the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure (DPHI) to assist with the relocation of homes purchased through the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s Resilient Homes program. This exemption allows the Council to consider relocating dwellings to rural allotments where no current dwelling entitlement exists, potentially opening up more sites for housing in the region.

Under the Lismore Local Environmental Plan (LEP), rural allotments typically need to meet a minimum lot size (40 hectares or 20 hectares in some areas) for a dwelling entitlement. While many smaller rural lots still have entitlements based on historical planning controls, others do not, often because they were once part of larger land holdings. A dwelling entitlement does not guarantee that a dwelling can be built or relocated but permits the Council to assess a Development Application (DA) to determine if the site is suitable.

Lismore City Council Mayor Steve Krieg emphasized the community’s interest in repurposing structurally sound homes from the buy-back program to provide housing for local families.
“Our community wants to use these abandoned but structurally sound homes across the Northern Rivers to house local families,” Mayor Krieg said. “We worked with the NSW Government to find a solution where more historic homes could be saved and relocated outside the flood plain.”

Graham Snow, Council’s Head of Planning and Environment, added,
“It doesn’t make sense to abandon homes that could be used to house people. This exemption offers a chance to relocate these houses to suitable rural sites, though finding the right locations remains a challenge.”

Key Points of the Exemption:

• The exemption allows Lismore Council to consider rural sites without existing dwelling entitlements for potential house relocations.
• Sites must meet certain criteria, such as considering buffers to agriculture, watercourses, vehicle access, biodiversity, and risks from bushfire and flooding. Sites within the flood planning area are not suitable.
• The exemption applies for two years, until September 30, 2026.
• No additional rural subdivisions below minimum lot sizes are allowed—the exemption only applies to existing lots.

The exemption is expected to benefit recipients of the buy-back program and increase opportunities to relocate historic timber homes, as development on some designated Resilient Lands sites may take years to complete.

More details and the full Fact Sheet about the exemption and re-siting dwellings are available on the Council’s Future Housing page under the Relocating Dwellings tab at www.lismore.nsw.gov.au.