LISMORE CITY COUNCIL NEWS ISSUE 296 10 DECEMBER 2025
SAFER BRIDGES NOW OPEN TO TRAFFIC
The new and improved Fernside Bridge, on Fernside Road, was recently officially opened to traffic, enhancing safety for motorists and delivering better outcomes for the community.
The original three-span timber bridge, built in 1961, had reached the end of its life and was subject to a weight restriction due to its poor condition. This has been replaced by a new 26m single-span concrete bridge, designed and constructed to the latest standards.
The $1.6 million project was a joint initiative of the NSW Government and Lismore City Council, which supported more than 30 local subcontractors, suppliers and workers during construction.
Importantly, Council has ‘Built Back Better’ by improving the resilience of the bridge to flooding by raising the deck level.
This greatly improves the resilience of the bridge to future flooding and reduces the likelihood of members of our community becoming isolated. It also ensures our farmers can get their produce to markets and improves the connectivity across our whole Local Government Area.
Three other bridges have also been officially opened to traffic: Town Bridge on Town Road, Terania Creek, Boomerang Creek Bridge on Rosebank Road, Rosebank and Hensen Bridge on Hensen Road, Nimbin.
Town Bridge is a single-span, 40 m-long steel bridge and was the first of its kind to be built in the LGA.
The individual steel superstructure components were incrementally joined together and launched out over the creek before being lowered onto their abutments, which are founded on bored, reinforced concrete piles.
Boomerang Creek Bridge is a two-span, 40m-long concrete bridge which provides a vital transport link to Corndale, Clunes and the wider community.
Hensen Bridge is a single-span 20m-long bridge and provides the only access in and out for the residents along Hensen Road. These projects were delivered for $2.4 million, $1.6 million and $626,645, respectively.
Council staff, along with specialist contractors, delivered these four new bridges, which were jointly funded by the NSW Government’s Fixing Country Bridges Program and Lismore City Council.
THE GIFT THAT DOES NOT COME WRAPPED
The holidays might slow everything else down, but the need for blood never takes a break. While people travel, shop, and lose track of their routines, hospitals face one of their busiest periods. Patients going through cancer treatment, trauma care, complex births and chronic illness still rely on blood products every single day. Platelets last only a week. Plasma demand stays constant. This is the time of year when supplies drop, but the need rises.
That is why Lifeblood runs its Christmas Blood Blitz, calling for donors across the country to roll up their sleeves. It is a simple act that can help save a life. Some blood groups, like O and A, are in exceptionally high demand. Many donor centres even stay open across Christmas and New Year because the pressure never lets up.
Lismore City Council has stepped up again. In the Northern Rivers, we ranked second among all councils in donating blood and plasma, a strong result built on staff who booked in and gave something that cannot be wrapped.
You can do the same. Book a donation and receive a limited-edition festive bandage when you donate before Sunday, 4 January.
Go to lifeblood.com.au
MORE REASONS TO SHOP LOCAL
More businesses are participating in Lismore’s Loving Local Gift Card Program, giving you more reasons to shop local across the entire Lismore Local Government Area.
The gift cards make the perfect gift, giving you more choice plus every dollar supports our amazing local businesses. Offering everything from tasty eats, experiences and unique finds, there’s something for everyone.
There are now even more places to spend the Gift Cards. We welcome the new participating stores:
• La Noval Massage, Keen Street, Lismore
• Barbeques Galore Northern Rivers
Conway Street, Lismore
• Cones & Cream, Cullen Street, Nimbin
• Sprout Coffee Food Art , Magellan Street, Lismore
Check out hundreds of stores where you can spend the Loving Local Gift Cards HERE
Gift cards can be purchase ONLINE or from the following retailers:
Intersport Lismore, 78 Magellan Street, Lismore
Toyworld, 65 Woodlark Street, Lismore
It’s the perfect way to share the love and shop local.
THANK YOU LISMORE FOR CAROLS IN THE HEART
Thank you to everyone who joined us at Carols in the Heart at Crozier Field on Saturday, 6 December. It was wonderful to see families, friends and neighbours come together to enjoy an evening of festive music and community spirit. A special thank you to our performers, including Rachael Beck (with an unexpected local guest, Charlie Kennedy-Beaumont, who was invited on stage to do a duet), Rhydian and the Residuals, Bunny Racket, Isabella A Capella, Luke Vasella, Hillbilly Skank and of course Santa, for sharing their time and talent with Lismore.
Thanks also to the many Council teams who worked behind the scenes.
COUNCIL DECIDES
At their December Ordinary Meeting, Councillors resolved to:
• adopt the Property Portfolio Strategy, (2) delegate the General Manager authority to: (a) make graphic and formatting amendments to the Property Portfolio Strategy as required prior to publication, and (b) progress the Value Creation Project
• place Council’s Undetected Water Leaks Policy on public exhibition for 28 days and (2) if any objections are received during the submission period the Policy be reported back to Council for further consideration. If no objections are received during the submission period, the Undetected Water Leaks Policy is adopted by Council
• note the November Monthly Finance Report
• endorse the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Lismore City Council (LCC) and Northern Rivers Performing Arts (NORPA) as contained in Attachment 1, and (2) delegate authority to the General Manager to finalise and sign the MOU
• approve the construction of the final stage for the Get NSW Active, Standing Street, Mills Street to The Channon Public School, The Channon project in line with the proposed alignment contained in the independent consultant’s report
• approve, by way of conditional consent, the establishment of a Farm Experience Premises (Periodic Use as Campground) and installation of a new onsite sewage management system
• receive and note the annual report on Code of Conduct statistics for Lismore City Council contained in the Business Papers and that the report will be forwarded to the Office of Local Government
• appoint James Speeding to the Aboriginal Advisory Group
• reaffirm its current position in relation to water security and submit it to the Far North Coast Regional Water Supply Project, and (2) request DCCEEW (Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water) and Minister Rose Jackson undertake further and more effective consultation with councils and the community with regards to this project
• receive the Mayoral Attendance Report for November 2025
• establish a Briefings Committee commencing 1 January 2026 under clause 20.2 of the Code of Meeting Practice whose members are all Councillors and, pursuant to clause 20.3, of which all Councillor are members, (2) pursuant to clause 20.5 of the Code of Meeting Practice, specifically the functions of the Briefings Committee as to receive briefings and workshops to inform Councillors, the content of which is determined by the General Manager or may be requested by at least three Councillors, (3) schedule any Briefings Committee meetings at 6pm on Tuesday evenings wherever possible, or at another time and/or as determined by the General Manager if 6pm on Tuesday is not available or suitable, and (4) prepare Terms of Reference to be considered by Council at the February 2026 Council meeting
• make permanent the temporary speed-reduction measures put in place during the bridge repair to commence in January 2026, being speed humps and speed reduction, after the completion of bridgeworks, (2) write to the General Manager of Rous requesting the construction of a carpark on Rous owned land at the site, as per current design, (3) work with Rous officers on appropriate public signage around rules to be applied at the site, such dogs, (4) work with Rous to provide a rubbish removal service
• include one (1) representative nominated by the Interhalls Group as a member of the Lismore Village Advisory Group (LVAG), (2) update the LVAG Terms of Reference to reflect this addition, and (3) approve Don Metcalfe as a Rural Northwest representative on the LVAG
• write to Rous County Council requesting that its operational priorities for 2026 include a stronger focus on compliance and enforcement of weed management obligations under the Biosecurity Act 2015, particularly targeting properties with significant infestations of priority species such as Tropical Soda Apple
• accept the tender from CBHG Building Pty Ltd for Tender T25/13 Wyrallah Road Depot Upgrade, for the sum of $538,7000 excluding GST and (2) delegate authority to the General Manager to finalise and execute the contract and any other documentation required to give effect to this resolution
• accept the tender from Downer EDI Works Pty Ltd for Tender REGPRO252526 on a Schedule of Rates based contract with expenditure up to $220,000 p.a. and (2) authorise the General Manager to: ( a) finalise and execute the contract and any other documentation required to give effect to this resolution and (b) exercise the option when required to extend the contract, subject to the satisfactory performance of the supplier
Applications now open
Applications are now open for the 2026 Rural Landholder Initiative, the Council’s flagship program supporting landholders to conserve and restore high-value environmental areas on private land. The program provides up to $15,000 over three years for on-ground projects that protect native vegetation, improve waterways, restore koala habitat, and rehabilitate degraded land.
The grants are open to rural landholders within the Lismore Local Government Area. Priority is given to properties with high conservation value, such as threatened species habitat, wildlife corridors, riparian zones, and floodplain vegetation. Successful projects will begin on 1 July 2026.
Since 2015, the initiative has delivered more than 200 projects across the Lismore area, planting 50,000 trees and improving over 300 hectares of land. The program assists eligible landholders with weed control, bush regeneration, habitat restoration, erosion management, stock-exclusion fencing, and other works that improve biodiversity and catchment health. Before applying, landholders should review the RLI Funding Policy and Guidelines to confirm eligibility. This includes zoning requirements, land management responsibilities and the need for in-kind contributions. This is a chance to partner with Council to improve the long-term environmental health of rural land. Full details and application forms are available on the Council’s website at www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/Community/Environmental-strategies/ Rural-Landholders-Initiative
You’ll find all the details at XMASINLISMORE.COM
SANTA’S WONDERLAND
Enjoy all the magic of Santa’s Wonderland and photos with Santa at the Lismore Regional Gallery until 21 December. Photo bookings are essential.
SHOP, SPIN & WIN GIVEAWAY
We are encouraging everyone to shop local this festive season. To say thank you, the team from Visit Lismore will be giving away Loving Local Gift Cards to everyday shoppers who spend $30, to use in participating local businesses.
Simply shop at an independent store in Lismore during December 2025 and present your receipt at one of the Shop, Spin & Win giveaways that will be popping up throughout the city in December. The best part –everyone who spins - wins.
NEW! PAWTRAITS WITH YOUR PETS
Pawtraits capture memorable moments with the whole family, including the furry loved ones at the Lismore Quad on 13 and 20 December.
Bookings essential.
ELF
HUNT
Families are encouraged to visit local businesses throughout December to find elves hiding in shop windows, with prizes from local shops for completed entries.
DON’T BE A POST-CHRISTMAS DUMPER
During the post-Christmas clean up, donating what you no longer need is a great way to give items a new lease of life and support those less fortunate, however please remember:
• Only donate items in good condition - think would you buy it or give it to a mate?
• Phone ahead to ensure the charity store is accepting donations and organise a time to take your items in.
• Please NEVER leave donations outside stores or charity bins - they are often damaged by weather or vandalised, meaning they can’t be used.
• It costs NSW charities $7.3 million every year to dispose of unsellable items.
And, if it’s not good enough to donate, see if it can be repaired, reused or recycled before sending it to landfill. Check our Reuse and Repair Trail:
reusetrail.com.au
DISPOSE OF YOUR BATTERIES
SAFELY THIS CHRISTMAS
Kids at home = lots of gadgets, remotes and toys getting a workout!
So, when those batteries go flat, remember — they can’t go into ANY kerbside bin, not the red, yellow or green-lid bin.
Used batteries can spark fires in waste trucks and at waste facilities. Dispose batteries the right way.
Loose removable batteries?
Tape the terminals with clear sticky tape to prevent sparking and collect them in a ventilated glass container out of reach of children. Drop them off for free next time you go shopping - find your closest B-cycle collection: bcycle.com.au/where-to-recycle
Drop loose household and car batteries off for free at your local Community Recycling Centre: newaste.org.au/crc
Drop embedded battery items (e.g. kids toys with a built-in battery, bluetooth speakers, smart watches) off at the Lismore CRCfind out more: epa.nsw.gov.au/Your-environment/
LISMORE LANDFILL REOPENS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE
Council is happy to announce the reopening of the Lismore Recycling & Recovery Centre landfill after extensive restoration works.
This means the full waste facility is now back up and running, with the landfill joining the already-operational recycling centre.
The project involved drying the flood-damaged landfill, installing a new lining system, and strengthening the site against future floods. Before work could begin, around four to five Olympic-sized swimming pools of waste were removed, with Tropical Cyclone Alfred earlier this year further adding to the project’s complexity.
Despite these challenges, the project was completed four months ahead of schedule, and waste is already flowing into the site. This milestone is a major step in Lismore’s flood recovery, allowing us to manage residual waste locally instead of transporting it to southeast Queensland. The landfill is expected to serve the community for the next 7–10 years. At the same time, Council is now investigating a site for a future landfill to meet the region’s needs for the next 50 years.
This project was jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements. For more info, visit www.lismore.nsw.gov.au/Building-and-planning/ Flood-Restoration-Portfolio
FLOOD MONITORING CAMERAS NOW
LIVE AT THREE KEY LOCATIONS
To enhance our community’s preparedness for flood events, Council has installed a network of flood-monitoring cameras to keep the community informed with real-time visuals of key floodprone locations.
The cameras, located at Wyrallah Road, Monaltrie; Boatharbour Road, Boatharbour; and Nimbin Road, Coffee Camp, provide visual updates on road closures, flood levels, and local impacts, and serve as a practical resource during heavy rain and floods.
In dry conditions, images are updated twice daily. Once rising water levels are detected, images refresh every 15 minutes, offering close-tolive updates from the safety of your home.
This first network of cameras has been funded through the Federal Government’s Preparing Australian Communities Local Stream program. Future installations may occur as additional funding becomes available. Please remember: Always check the timestamp on images to confirm current conditions. For official warnings and road closure advice, rely on the NSW State Emergency Service and Live Traffic NSW.
NSW SES: https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/
Live Traffic NSW: https://www.livetraffic.com/
CONTACT US: 6625 0500
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Post: PO Box 23A, Lismore, NSW 2480
Email: council@lismore.nsw.gov.au
Web: www.lismore.nsw.gov.au
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