Ballina temporary housing village
A temporary housing village has been established on Burnet Street, Ballina for local residents who cannot return home because of flood damage.
Accommodation support in the Northern Rivers
The NSW Government is working to ensure anyone impacted by the floods can access temporary housing if they need it. Flood-affected community members can register their interest by:
- calling Service NSW on 13 77 88
- speaking to staff at a recovery centre.
Due to high demand, pod villages in the Northern Rivers are currently at capacity. New applicant details will be collected as part of a waitlist should a pod become available in the future.
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 houses up to 186 people. It has been operational since December 2022.
Housing units will be available for residents for up to 2 years. Construction and decommissioning will take extra time. The length of time spent in the village will depend on the needs of each resident. It will allow for homes to be rebuilt, for people to move, or find a rental property.
The site must be returned to its prior use at the end of occupation as agreed with the landowner TAFE NSW. This is part of the lease agreement.
North Coast Community Housing manages the village.
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 will sign an occupancy agreement before moving into the Ballina village. This 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.
The Community Housing Provider, North Coast Community Housing, is responsible for:
- the day-to-day management of the site
- resident allocations
- on-site security.
The Community Housing Provider also works with local Recovery Support Services (RSS). Together, they provide 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 North Coast Community Housing Ballina village team can be contacted at ballinacv@ncchc.org.au
Village layout
Image captured prior to site completion