A new state body set up to oversee rebuilding in flood-devasted northern NSW communities will be given compulsory land-acquisition powers.
The Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation (NRRC) will also have the authority to sub-divide land and consider proposals to shift services and utilities in riverside communities to higher ground to avoid a repeat of the devastation across towns in northern NSW in February/March.
Announcing the new coordination body on a trip to Lismore this week, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said rebuilding the town and surrounding areas required a single authority to guide the process beyond the immediate recovery phase, which is being led by Resilience NSW.
He said the authority will work with the Kyogle, Tweed, Richmond Valley, Clarence Valley, Byron Bay and Ballina councils to direct projects to “rejuvenate communities”.
The NRRC will also be able to accelerate planning and development proposals through the NSW Department of Planning and Environment (DPIE).