Reimagine Lismore: A Plan for the Future
Community Strategic Plan 2025 – 2035, including the Delivery Program 2025 – 2029 and Operational Plan 2025 - 2026
Council is pleased to present the Lismore Community Strategic Plan 2025 – 2035, including the Delivery Program 2025 – 2029 and Operational Plan 2025 - 2026 for the community’s review and feedback.
The CSP is the highest level of strategic planning undertaken by Council, which details the community’s 10-year aspirations for Lismore and sets the scene for what the community wishes for its future.
Significant community consultation for the CSP was undertaken through the MARKYT Scorecard Survey in November 2024. The feedback received included over 136,100 words, identifying the top priorities that are important to our community. These were safer roads, effective flood mitigation, better youth services, growth development and rebuilding of Lismore, diverse housing and responsible economic growth.
The review process included a series of community workshops where a vision for Lismore was developed, and Council’s proposed actions were defined. Overall, discussions with the community through these workshops confirmed the recommended themes, objectives and strategies in the attached Draft Reimagine Lismore Community Strategic Plan 2025-2035.
The Reimagine Lismore Community Strategic Plan 2025-2035 will replace the current strategic plan.
The Plan has been developed around five major themes, which reflect the major issues and priorities identified by the community. These are:
- Place
- Environment
- Community
- Prosperity
- Leadership
The activities which support the delivery of these programs are set out in Council’s Delivery Program 2025 – 2029 and Operational Plan 2025 - 2026.
Council resolved at its ordinary meeting on 13 May 2025 to place the draft documents on public exhibition from 14 May until 12 June 2025, 4.30pm.
The draft Lismore Community Strategic Plan 2025 – 2035, including the Delivery Program 2025 – 2029 and Operational Plan 2025 - 2026 can be viewed online or in hardcopy at our Corporate Centre, 43 Oliver Avenue, Goonellabah.
We value your feedback and appreciate any input you may have.
You can provide your feedback via a submission in the following ways:
- Online - see the submission form below
- In writing to the General Manager, Lismore City Council, PO Box 23A, Lismore, NSW 2480
- Via email to council@lismore.nsw.gov.au
The Community Strategic Plan, Delivery Program and Operational Plan are on public exhibition and open for submissions until 4.30pm, Thursday 12 June 2025.
Background:
Welcome to Reimagine Lismore — shaping our city’s future, together through Lismore’s Community Strategic Plan
Lismore has faced extraordinary challenges in recent years, and now it’s time to come together and create a vibrant, resilient future. Reimagine Lismore is a community-driven initiative, led by the Lismore City Council, to build a long-term vision for our city. This is your chance to help shape the next decade for Lismore, ensuring it’s a place where we can all thrive, feel connected, and be proud to call home.
Thank you to those community members who attended the recent workshops to provide their feedback. This feedback is now being used to inform further development of the plan and included actions.
The Community Strategic Plan Community Workshops scheduled for March 2025 were postponed due to the predicted weather conditions from Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. This response was in line with Council’s Emergency Plan.
The four Community Workshops were then rescheduled to Tuesday, 1 April, Wednesday, 2 April and Thursday, 3 April 2025.
With these workshops finalised, Lismore City Council has now completed the second phase of formal public consultation for Lismore’s Community Strategic Plan (CSP).
Community were invited to attend one of four workshops across Lismore and its villages. The workshops were used to test that Council captured feedback appropriately and understood community priorities for the future.
The workshops followed Council’s survey conducted in November 2024, where residents shared their priorities and insights on Lismore City Council’s services. All data collated in the survey has been added to the invaluable community feedback, already provided through a range of consultations and surveys undertaken across the Lismore LGA over the past two years.
What’s Reimagine Lismore about?
Through Reimagine Lismore, we’re setting a course for the city’s growth, sustainability, and resilience. This project is part of our Community Strategic Plan - a roadmap developed with your input that will guide the Council’s decisions and priorities. We’re committed to a Lismore that reflects our shared values, across the four key pillars of Social, Environmental, Economic and Civic Leadership.
What is a Community Strategic Plan?
The Community Strategic Plan (CSP) is a long-term vision and roadmap created to address the priorities, aspirations, and needs of our community. Covering a 10-year period, it outlines what residents want Lismore to look like in the future and sets measurable goals to achieve this vision. The CSP is updated every four years to ensure it remains relevant to the changing needs of the community and is a statutory requirement of the Office of Local Government.
Why is a consultancy being used to run this survey?
The scorecard provided community with the opportunity to freely comment and score Council on a range of areas that impact overall quality of life, including areas impacted by the floods. This process was hosted external to Council to ensure transparency and confidentiality. It also allows Council to benchmark against over 70 other councils across the country.
What further consultation is to be included?
This survey was open for community feedback from Monday, 04 November to Monday, 25 November 2024. It marked the first phase of consultation, to gather community feedback to ensure the voice of our residents is included in how we shape the future of Lismore and villages. Since the 2022 natural disaster, Council has conducted numerous consultations via the Your Say Lismore website and through direct liaison with various interest groups. All of the Community Scorecard data will be added to all the valuable feedback our community have already shared. This combined information will form the basis for setting the draft areas of focus for the Community Strategic Plan 2025-2035.
As above, in April we went back to our community to check that what we think they have told us is correct. The second phase of engagement involved a number of community workshops in Lismore and villages. It is important to Council that we listen to hear from our community, so that our new Community Strategic Plan provides a clear snapshot of their priorities, expectations and aspirations.
Further FAQs are available in the side bar.
