Lismore community meeting calls for halt to heritage home demolitions

COMMUNITY members gathered at the Lismore Quad for the Stop the Demolitions: Save Our Heritage Homes community meeting last Saturday, raising concerns about the future of flood-impacted housing and heritage properties.

Speakers at the meeting demanded the demolition of heritage homes cease, while warning that the loss of older housing stock and reusable materials remains an ongoing concern.

Organisers said the rally was convened following the release of the auditor-general’s report and included calls to stop the demolition of heritage homes, repurpose existing houses, make ‘resilient lands’ affordable and accessible, and to ensure extended deadlines benefit every home.

Organisers said 100 people attended the event, which was compered by Lismore Greens councillor Virginia Waters and featured speeches from Miriam Torzillo, local artist Jimmy Willing, NSW MLC Sue Higginson and Chels Hood Withey, founder of the grassroots housing justice organisation House You.

Hood Withey said many of the flood-affected homes are structurally sound and of heritage value, arguing they have withstood repeated flooding and should be relocated with the purpose of public housing and community use rather than demolished in the middle of a housing crisis.

“These houses are heritage because some of them are over 100 years old, and if they’re younger than 100 years, they’ve been withstanding many, many floods, and they are structurally sound,” Hood Withey said.

“The people that show up in support of the relocation and not demolition of these homes are people who’ve lived in these homes, they’ve raised families in these homes, they’ve visited friends and had parties in these homes.”

Hood Withey said the emotional impact of displacement through buyback and relocation processes represented a significant human cost for the community.

A NSW Reconstruction Authority (RA) spokesperson said the agency recognises the emotional connection many residents have to affected homes and communities, outlining the scale of its recovery and reuse program.

“The RA is maximising the relocation, reuse and recycling of homes wherever possible,” the spokesperson said.

“Homeowners have been able to relocate their homes, (or) gift them to others for relocation or salvage materials through the buyback process.”

The spokesperson said demolition occurs where relocation is not possible, with salvage and recycling undertaken where feasible.

“To date, 43 relocations have been completed, a further 197 relocations are in various stages of planning by homeowners, and more than 450 homeowners have chosen to salvage materials through the buyback process,” the spokesperson said.

“Approximately 74 per cent of eligible materials from demolished homes have been recycled to date.”

The spokesperson said the work is being delivered at a scale not previously seen in Australia and the organisation remains focused on long-term community safety and recovery.