$1 sale boosts gun club safety

RICHMOND River Gun Club will pay Lismore City Council $1 for a small parcel of land along its boundary, allowing it to improve safety.

The gun club will purchase about 3532sq m of council-owned land that adjoins their boundary, extending the safety barrier around its facility at 313 Wyrallah Road, Monaltrie.

Councillors at the August council meeting heard from staff that the land was surplus to the council’s needs and was flood-prone.

The council’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr Brendan Logan, said the council had not received a formal valuation on the site. But, as it often flooded and was covered in coral trees, it would not be practical to use the land, he said.

The gun club moved to the site off Wyrallah Rd in 1977. It had occupied a site at Three Chain Rd since 1958 but moved to facilitate the expansion of the Lismore Airport.

The club became the owner of the 7.36ha of land in 2012.

In June, Richmond River Gun Club approached the council with a request to purchase the land by boundary adjustment. It followed a recommendation from the New South Wales Police Firearms Registry that the club should acquire land from the adjoining owners to extend the safety barrier around the club.

A neighbouring property owner and the Lismore Model Flying Club did not object to the sale.

The land is classified as operational and is exempt from the public consultation requirements.

The club will meet all expenses associated with this land acquisition.