Weeping figures commemorate 2022 flooding in the Clarence Valley

 

 

PICTURED: Nationally recognised local artist Al Stark painted four sentinels overlooking the Clarence River on the pylons under the new Harwood Bridge adjacent to Yamba Road. 

Photos by Clarence Valley Council, August 2023

Widespread flooding in first half of 2022 sees latest land valuations expected to fall in worst hit areas of the Northern Rivers region

Due to Northern Rivers flooding in February-March and June 2022, property owners in flood affected locations in Lismore City local government area such as North, South and central Lismore experienced decreases in demand for their lots. As did property owners in flood affected Ocean Shores and Golden Beach in Byron Shire. 

"Lismore saw a 23.9% decrease [in commercial land demand] after the 2022 floods significantly impacted the area, with the entire CBD being inundated....Lismore [industrial land] decreased slightly (5.2%) as a two-tier market emerged with premiums being paid for flood free industrial land.....Strong demand continued in Lismore (23.7%) for productive farmlands to the northwest which were not as severely affected by the 2022 floods."

Valuer General of New South Wales, Valuation NSW, Media Release, 19 January 2023:

New land values published for the North Coast region

The NSW Valuer General has published land values for the North Coast region. The land values reflect the value of land only, as at 1 July 2022.

Land value is the value of the land only. It does not include the value of a home or other structure. Property sales are the most important factor valuers consider when determining land values. [my yellow highlighting]

The new land values will be used by Revenue NSW to calculate land tax for the 2023 land tax year. Registered land tax clients will receive their land tax assessment from Revenue NSW from January 2023. More information on land tax can be found at revenue.nsw.gov.au.

Councils receive new land values for rating at least every three years. Land values are one factor used by councils to calculate rates. All councils have been issued with the 1 July 2022 land values.

Landholders will receive a Notice of Valuation showing their land value before it is used by council for rating. Notices will be issued from January 2023. This gives landholders time to consider their land value.

The latest land values for all properties in NSW are available on the Valuer General NSW website, along with information on trends, medians and typical land values for each local government area.

Please visit www.valuergeneral.nsw.gov.au for more information on land values and the NSW valuation system.

North Coast Region local government areas

Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lismore, MidCoast, Nambucca, Port Macquarie-Hastings, Richmond Valley and Tweed.

General overview

The total land value for the North Coast NSW region increased by 35.9% between 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2022 from $116 billion to $158 billion.

Residential land values increased 36.8% overall. Demand for rural villages, hinterland and beachside locations continue as sea and tree changers relocate to work remotely. This trend was particularly evident in Coffs Harbour (46.7%), Port Macquarie (38%) and Clarence Valley (46.5%). Lismore (31.5%) saw increased demand in flood free areas including Goonellabah, Lismore Heights and Richmond Hill while flood affected locations such as North, South and central Lismore experienced decreases. Byron (18.2%) varied as decreases in flood affected Ocean Shores and Golden Beach offset increases at Brunswick Heads, Suffolk Park and elevated Pacific Vista Drive, Byron Bay.

Commercial land values increased 24.1% overall. Relative affordability contributed to Bellingen (56.7%) and Clarence Valley (40%) experiencing the strongest increases. In Ballina (14.9%), the flood impacted CBD experienced moderate to slight increases while Lennox Head and Wollongbar increased strongly due to tight supply. Byron (25.2%) increases highlight continued strength in the Byron tourism sector and investor demand. Lismore saw a 23.9% decrease after the 2022 floods significantly impacted the area, with the entire CBD being inundated.

Industrial land values increased by 29.6% overall. Clarence Valley (122.5%) saw heightened demand for a limited supply of affordable fringe industrial land around Grafton and Yamba. Similar supply issues led very strong increases in Kempsey (56.4%), especially South Kempsey precinct, and drove values in affordable fringe locations of Woolgoolga and Macksville which contributed to very strong increases in Coffs Harbour (41.5%) and Nambucca (37.7%). Lismore decreased slightly (5.2%) as a two-tier market emerged with premiums being paid for flood free industrial land.

Rural land values increased 37.4%. Strong commodity prices drove demand for quality agricultural land with reliable water and resulted in increases regionwide, with Port Macquarie-Hastings (54.5%) leading the trend. Relative affordability drove demand in several local government areas including Nambucca (51.4%) and Kempsey (40.3%). Across Byron (26.1%), values remained steady in flood impacted localities including Main Arm and Mullumbimby while purchasers underpinned strong demand for rural homes and hobby farms in areas like Myocum and Bangalow. Strong demand continued in Lismore (23.7%) for productive farmlands to the northwest which were not as severely affected by the 2022 floods.

~~~Ends~~~ 

Around the traps on the Northern Rivers in November 2022

 

Clarence Valley Independent, 2 November 2022:

Yamba’s primary water supply switched

A hydrographic survey has been completed along the riverbank from the northern edge of Maclean to the Harwood Bridge to assess the risk of riverbank erosion affecting the water mains servicing Yamba.

Water mains run along both sides of Yamba Road, and Council has switched its main supply to the less vulnerable pipeline on the inland side of the road.

The pipeline on the river side will continue to be maintained as a back-up.

NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), media release, 2 November 2022:

Northern Rivers residents and small businesses will be able to access flood support with a new NSW Environment Protection Authority (EPA) program supporting the management of contaminated lands following the devastating floods in early 2022.

NSW EPA Chief Executive Officer Tony Chappel announced the new program in Lismore and said the EPA is committed to doing all it can to help the region recover.

“Our role at the EPA is to protect the community and environment, and this program is about ensuring contaminated land is addressed so people have peace of mind about their land,” Mr Chappel said.

“I cannot begin to imagine how hard it has been for the community to return home after the flooding only to face a painstaking clean-up.

“We want to give Northern Rivers communities who have made that extraordinary effort the certainty that the land they live on is healthy and safe.

“This program will provide free, independent assessments for eligible properties, which will reveal if soils have been contaminated.

“If a property is deemed to be contaminated, we will also provide landholder assistance in cleaning-up soils and returning the environment to the best state possible.

“I want to thank all our EPA officers who have been working with other agencies to remove waste and debris from across the region.

“The volumes have been enormous and in the past week alone, we have removed 261 cubic metres of debris from our waterways, equal to that of three semi-trailer trucks.

The funding will also support the seven eligible councils (Lismore, Richmond Valley, Ballina, Kyogle, Tweed, Byron, Clarence) to assess any flood contamination to public areas as well as providing resources to manage contamination from future natural disasters.

The NSW EPA runs a number of programs to help regions impacted by floods, with the Shoreline Clean-up Program removing more than 17,800 cubic metres of flood debris from waterways in an area extending from the Queensland border to the Illawarra.

The Flood Recovery Program for Contaminated Lands is jointly funded by the State and Commonwealth disaster recovery funding agreement (DRFA). Residents can now apply on the Service NSW website.

The EPA has also launched an interactive visual flood debris map which demonstrates the scale and scope of the clean-up effort, as well as sharing stories from the community and EPA officers.