Ballina temporary housing village
A temporary housing village was established on Burnet Street, Ballina for local residents who could not return home because of damage caused by the 2022 floods.
The temporary village program was set to end by June 2025, but due to the current housing shortage in the Northern Rivers, RA has worked with Homes NSW, councils, and landowners to extend some villages as disaster related housing for flood impacted people in the region, including the Ballina village.
Even though some villages are being extended for a limited time, they are not intended to become permanent social or affordable housing. They have been built as temporary structures.
About the site
The Ballina site is located at 154 Burnet Street next to Fripp Oval on TAFE NSW owned land.
The site hosts 53 dwellings and has been operational since December 2022.
Ballina is 1 of 6 temporary housing villages within the Northern Rivers region to be extended until December 2026.
From 1 July 2025, Homes NSW will take over the operation of this village for flood-affected people.
This village will continue to be managed by an onsite Community Housing Provider, currently Northern Rivers Housing.
Utilities and site design
Design work by John Holland Group determined the best way of accommodating homes on the site. It also made sure any flood risk for surrounding properties is not increased by construction on the site.
Homes are installed above the 1% Annual Exceedance Probability (AEP) flood level, in line with council requirements. They also sit on a frame which means the site ground level does not have to be raised as part of construction.
In consultation with the local council, the site's stormwater management system is a detained system. It includes tanked structures which store water on site during heavy rain events. This reduces the impacts to the surrounding drainage network.
The site includes utilities such as:
- power
- water
- sewerage
- garbage collection
- on-site parking.
Central BBQ facilities and shaded play areas are also available for communal use.
Village management
All residents have signed an occupancy agreement before moving into the Ballina village. The occupancy agreement sets out appropriate behaviour and conduct for living in the temporary accommodation.
If someone is unable to comply with the terms of occupancy agreement, they may have to leave the site.
Day-to-day management of the village and its residents will continue to be undertaken by an onsite Community Housing Provider.
The Community Housing Provider is responsible for:
- the day-to-day management of the site
- resident allocations
- on-site security.
The Community Housing Provider provides support for residents, including:
- mental and physical health
- financial support
- options for returning to a more permanent living situation.
All housing units are cleaned before residents move in. Residents are then responsible for all ongoing cleaning of the housing unit, as it is their private home.
Contact the project team
For more information, contact us by:
- emailing housingtaskforce@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au
- calling 1300 003 227
The Northern Rivers Housing Ballina village team can be contacted at ballinacv@nrh.org.au
Village layout
