Having played host to local flood evacuees for the past two years, an?Australian university is?now handing over a?golf course-sized chunk of?land to?house them permanently.

Southern Cross University (SCU) has agreed to?part with a 72-hectare site near its Lismore campus for a housing development in the flood-ravaged town¡¯s east.

The arrangement has been outlined in a ¡°heads of agreement¡± with two New South Wales (NSW) government agencies, with the commercial details still to be finalised. It is the culmination of efforts by the university ¨C which is located on high ground, beyond the flood-prone Wilson¡¯s River¡¯s reach ¨C to?give sanctuary to local residents, businesses, schools, police, paramedics and even politicians.

SCU also helped to kick-start the area¡¯s revival?after the devastating 2022 floods, hosting business advisory services and undertaking research into adaptation and renewal.

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The site, which is roughly the same size as the university¡¯s nearby main campus, is former farmland ceded to SCU as part of its 1994 establishment. It has been used sparingly by the university for agricultural activities.

Largely forested, it contains a football field, a cemetery and military buildings. It has hosted temporary housing for flood-impacted families over the past 18 months.

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Vice-chancellor Tyrone Carlin said it was the ¡°ideal¡± site for a more permanent arrangement. ¡°I?look forward to seeing this land opened up and to welcoming hundreds of residents, including families, students and university staff,¡± he said.

Lismore mayor Steve Krieg said progress was ¡°genuinely¡­being made¡±, two years on from the disaster. ¡°We can now provide tangible, viable housing opportunities for our residents to be able to relocate from the floodplain.¡±

The 400-home site will feature low- and medium-density housing, some of it low-cost. Flood-affected locals ¨C including hundreds of householders who have qualified for a government buy-back scheme, with their homes considered unlivable because of damage and future flood risk ¨C will have first choice before sales are opened up more broadly.

Construction is expected to start this year, with the first sales in 2026.

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¡°I want to offer a big thank you to SCU for working with us to increase much-needed land supply,¡± said NSW premier Chris Minns. ¡°This is something the Northern Rivers community has been waiting for, and today is an important step in their recovery.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com