Council is seeking community feedback on a proposal to extend the lease on parkland at Kingscliff to accommodate the temporary housing pod for an additional six months.
The NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) has requested a six-month extension to the temporary village lease at Elrond Drive, Kingscliff – taking it to December 2025.
The extension would provide additional time for the RA and Northern Rivers Housing (NRH) to support residents into long-term housing and to allow for the decommissioning of the pods, which would occur in the six-month extension period.
Mayor of Tweed Shire Chris Cherry said the village had been set up as an emergency measure to provide temporary housing for people in the wake of the devasting flood of 2022.
“There are currently more than 450 households living in 11 temporary housing sites across the region, and a significant waitlist of people still seeking housing support,” Cr Cherry said.
“Kingscliff’s temporary housing village has 31 self-contained housing units which provide a safe and secure home to more than 60 people affected by the 2022 floods. Some residents are waiting for their homes to be rebuilt, while some need to find an affordable rental property.
“While Council supports this request for a six-month extension, we want to hear from local residents to understand their views on the request for an extension before making a final decision on the request.”
Council owns the land at 99 Elrond Drive where the Kingscliff temporary housing village has been set up. In June 2022, Council entered into a three-year lease of the property with Resilience NSW, now known as the NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA).
The purpose of the lease was for the construction, maintenance and operation of temporary housing. The lease currently expires on 16 June 2025.
The temporary housing villages were established with the view of providing up to two years’ accommodation for displaced households as a result of the 2022 floods, with the remaining lease period to accommodate restoration of the site.
However, due to the widespread housing stress and contractor shortages in the region, residents of the temporary housing village are experiencing significant obstacles to returning home or securing alternative stable housing.
In November 2023 Council received a request from the NSW RA to extend the lease for a further two years until June 2027. Following this request, in February 2024 a meeting was hosted by the NSW RA and Council with neighbouring residents. At this meeting, the NSW RA indicated the request to extend the lease for a further two years (until 2027) had been withdrawn.
In May 2024, Council received a new request from the NSW RA to extend the lease for an additional six-month period until 31 December 2025. At Council’s meeting on 16 May it was resolved to agree to this extension, subject to public notification and consultation with residents of the pod village and wider community.
At the meeting it was further resolved to consult with the community to determine the future use of the space. This will be done as part of a separate consultation before the end of the lease in December next year.
Residents are encouraged to provide feedback on the extension of the lease before 5 pm on Wednesday 3 July 2024. Council will consider all submissions before deciding on whether to proceed with the extension.
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