News and Reviews
Residents confused by new development on flood plain
Residents confused by new development on flood plain
By Samantha Elley
What do you get when a local council considers a development application (DA) to establish 60 blocks of medium density housing on a flood plain?
The answer is: a group of very confused and concerned local residents.
That is the situation in Broadwater after residents were advised by letterbox drop that Richmond Valley Council had a DA on public exhibition at 59 Rileys Hill Road to undertake a Torrens Title subdivision.
“If they develop 60 blocks of medium density housing, that means there will be duplexes on each block,” said resident Cat Martin.
“At 2-4 residences on each block that could be up to 1,000 extra people living here.”
The land for the proposed development is zoned RU5 – village zone, which allows for residential lots of varying sizes and shapes.
However, with the recent flood experience in Broadwater and the plans by government bodies to buyback and retro-fit houses for future floods, residents are confused by the plans to continue building homes on a flood plain.
the community meeting
“They plan to build the land up to 1.6 metres, which will make it an island,” said Ms Martin.
“That will force water to channel down our street.”
During last year’s February floods, the land in question was completely under water.
The DA’s flood report stated that RVC’s Development Control Plan requires all habitable floor levels be elevated to a minimum of half a metre above the 1 in 100 year flood event level.
This will mean a minimum of 2.6 metres to 3.9 metres of fill and earthworks will be needed to achieve the required habitable height above flood levels which is 5.1 metres.
These figures, however, lifted from the April 2010 Richmond River Flood Mapping Study – Final Report are 13 years old and do not take into consideration the recent flood levels experienced in the Broadwater area.
At a community meeting last week, in which residents along Rileys Hill Road and surrounding areas attended, other issues raised also included:
• Koala habitats and the introduction of more domestic animals and the increase of traffic.
• The lack of infrastructure in the Broadwater village, with only one service station, no shops and no proper footpaths, will be stretched with the growth in population.
• The discomfort to current residents as the development is being built with the noise, dust and dirt that accompanies such activities.
• Lack of information so far provided to residents. While DA papers are online, a meeting with the developer for more details would be preferred.
• The wellbeing and mental health of current residents having experienced the recent flood, now dealing with the stress of this development.
Residents Ms Martin, Jemma Donnelly and Betty Archer agreed that more land was needed to relieve the housing stress on the Northern Rivers, but suggested there were better options.
“People have to have a place to live,” said Ms Archer.
“But why not on the other side of the freeway, which is flood free or the quarry, which is up for sale?”
Ms Martin noted blocks of land currently for sale in the middle of the village hadn’t been selling.
“They need to get out of the flood plain,” she said.
“Why can’t they build on the hill?”
While the original development was scaled back from 90 to 60 blocks, Ms Donnelly said it’s a start.
the community meeting
“My first proposal is to not have it at all,” she said.
“But there could be a compromise where they developed 2.5 acre blocks rather than the smaller ones proposed.”
Resident Neville Murray said he wasn’t against or for the development.
“There just isn’t enough information,” he said.
Outcomes of the community meeting included encouraging all residents to put their submissions in regarding the DA, signing a petition to let the council and developer know their concerns and possibly organising a community meeting with the developer requesting more information.
Written submissions are invited by residents and interested parties on the development to be in by February 18.
These can be done by:
• post to – Locked Bag 10 Casino NSW 2470
• email – council@richmondvalley.nsw.gov.au
• hand delivery – at either of Council’s Customer Service Centres in Casino and Evans Head
• online submission – by completing an online submission form via Council’s website.
Please note comments on social media posts are not considered submissions.
$3.8 MILLION TO HELP NORTHERN RIVERS COMMUNITY HEAL AFTER 2022 FLOODS
RESEARCHERS at Southern Cross University have been awarded more than $3.8 million to help Northern Rivers locals affected by the devastating 2022 floods.
In a world-first approach, the researchers will implement a stepped care model to support over 200 people left with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after the floods.
To date, there have been very few clinical trials focused on recovery from disaster-related PTSD. None have focused on a stepped care model.
Stepped care is an evidence-based system for treating mental health, involving a hierarchy of treatments, from least to most intensive.
The stepped care treatments in this clinical trial will include an arts-based group compassion program and group-based MDMA-assisted therapy. It is hoped the findings will provide additional treatment options for those impacted by future disasters.
People can register their interest in participating in the clinical trial by emailing compassiontrial@scu.edu.au
The Albanese Government is providing these funds as part of the 2022 Clinical Trials Grant Activity, with funding commencing from March 2024.
Grants totalling $62 million were awarded to 26 recipients as part of the grant opportunity.
The Albanese Government has committed a total of $750 million for the Clinical Trials Activity Initiative over ten years.
Quotes attributable to Federal Minister for Health Mark Butler MP:
“Supporting the mental health of Australians is a key priority for the Albanese Government.
“In a country often ravaged by bushfires, floods and cyclones, the world-first research by Southern Cross University will look for new and innovative ways to help communities recover following natural disasters.
“We hope that this research project will help the Northern Rivers community to recover following the flood tragedy.
“Our Government is proud to support this groundbreaking research through the Medical Research Future Fund.”
Quotes attributable to NSW Parliamentary Secretary for Disaster Recovery and State Member for Lismore Janelle Saffin MP:
“This project not only offers innovative evidence-based practices for trauma relief, but also means something positive can come out of our local experience. This research will add to the body of knowledge around trauma and post-traumatic growth.
“James Bennett-Levy has an international reputation for innovative mental health approaches and a commitment to the wellbeing or rural Australians, particularly the residents of the Northern Rivers Region. That’s why I was happy to throw my support behind this project.”
Quotes attributable to Lead Researcher, Professor James Bennett-Levy, of Southern Cross University:
“I thank the Minister for funding this world-first clinical trial of a stepped care model in a post-disaster context.
“In 2022, northern New South Wales, and Lismore in particular, experienced Australia’s most devastating floods. People are still suffering from disaster-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“Our research after the 2017 floods showed that mental health problems were compounded if people were self-critical and blamed themselves. We have therefore designed a stepped care program with a self-compassion focus. Step 1 will evaluate a five-session arts-based program which engages participants in creating compassion-focussed artworks. If participants still have PTSD, they may be eligible for Step 2, MDMA-assisted therapy. Prior research has shown that MDMA-assisted therapy is an effective evidence-based treatment for PTSD and enhances self-compassion.”
Quotes attributable to Vice-Chancellor and President, Southern Cross University Professor Tyrone Carlin:
“Under Professor Bennett-Levy’s leadership and expertise, this novel trial will broaden our knowledge about the effectiveness of therapeutic treatments for addressing serious trauma following a natural disaster.
“Lismore is the most flood-prone city in Australia. We know that many in the Northern Rivers community remain traumatised by the 2022 back-to-back flood disasters. Lismore is also the birthplace of Southern Cross University, and with our roots deeply embedded in the community it is appropriate we lead this project.
“We congratulate Professor Bennett Levy for being awarded the MRFF grant. It represents the largest block MRFF funding received by Southern Cross University to date and illustrates the excellence and impact of critical research conducted by the University in our region.”
For more 2022 floods news, click here.
Council investigating possible DA Tracker data breach
On 24 April, an upgrade to Byron Shire Council’s document management system resulted in some internal development related documents being viewable on the DA Tracker public web portal.
The DA Tracker is Council’s online portal that allows users to track the progress of development applications.
“Access to the DA Tracker was temporarily suspended as soon as we became aware of the issue, and the removal of the internal documents from the DA Tracker public web portal was completed on 29 April”. Council’s Manager Business Systems and Technology, Colin Baker said.
“We are currently investigating this incident to determine the exact nature and extent of the documents incorrectly published.” Mr Baker said.
Council takes the privacy of its customers very seriously and has engaged the NSW State Government’s Cyber incident response team to assist with the investigation. If it is determined that a data breach occurred, Council will be contacting any person directly impacted, and following other mandatory reporting requirements.
Customers concerned about this DA Tracker data breach incident can contact Colin Baker, Manager of Business Systems and Technology by calling 02 6626 7347.
For more Byron Bay news, click here.
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