Concern as council approves new residential blocks at City View Drive

The development application includes plans to construct a road and extend infrastructure to service the site at 37 City View Drive, East Lismore.

Four speakers were against the development and cited issues around landslips, storm water runoff and protecting koalas.

Resident Timothy Roberts spoke in favour of it, along with Matt Brown from Perception Planning.

Cr Andrew Gordon was critical of people against it.

He said they would be "living in a tree" if plans for their own homes had been blocked and that council had an obligation to do better.

Cr Vanessa Ekins said approving the development would be a hasty decision which was later shot down by Cr Steve Krieg.

He said plans had first been lodged four years ago and that it was an opportunity to help the city grow.

The DA was passed 5/4 with Crs Gordon, Hall, Jensen, Bing and Krieg voting for and Crs Cook, Colby, Bird and Ekins against.

Cr Guise was absent from the meeting, while Cr Rob excluded himself through conflicts of interest.

Council voted in favour of adopting the full IPART rate peg amount of 4.7 per cent

This will generate an additional $1.6 million with Cr Rob the only councillor voting against it.

"It's not our budget, we're just sitting here and ticking the box of something that's been given us to us," he said.

Council could adopt any percentage that it deems appropriate up to 4.7 per cent however it would need to cut other programs from the budget or reduce service levels to fund the shortfall in revenues.

"It's a utopia world to think you can just keep on delivering and not increase," Cr Gordon said.

"There are some legacy issues to be addressed and they are slowly but surely being reined in.

"If you want the level of services being provided now or being improved upon, then this is the cost we need to bear.

"Last year we had a 0.7 per cent rate increase which I thought was wrong, it was a gift at the time which I think we'll pay for now."

An example of increased costs to council was the impact of the 2022 floods on council's waste facility, with the current cell still closed pending restoration works.

Council has been forced to ship its waste off site to other facilities either within New South Wales or Queensland.

This has imposed additional operational costs on the Waste facility which cannot be absorbed in the short term.

Plans to transfer land at Bellevue Park to the Nimbin A&I Society Inc at no cost, as decided by councillors in 2015, have hit a road block.

Councillors debated the ramifications of the transfer of the land. Questions were raised about council's obligations related to the transfer, what would happen to the land if the A&I society folded, how it would impact the Nimbin Place Plan and its recommendations, and if the A&I Society wanted the land.

Cr Gordon argued the society had been caring for the land for many years and it was a "no brainer".

Cr Rob said most councillors would support the move, but said they should defer the decision to receive a briefing on the matter and hear from the A&I Society.

The mayor used his casting vote to support deferring the decision.