Susanna Freymark
Box Ridge Community near Coraki is planning a new road for a planned new subdivision focused on home ownership.
Bogal Local Aboriginal Land Council chief executive Rebecca Woods spoke about Bogal’s development application at the Richmond Valley Council meeting on Tuesday, September 20.
“We want to improve infrastructure at Box Ridge to address years of neglect,” Ms Woods said.
A State Government Roads to Home grant offers the opportunity for a new access road into the community, she said.
The problem is part of the access road is on Crown Land and subject to Native Title.
Ms Woods asked Richmond Valley Council to write a letter of recommendation to help Bogal acquire the road as a public road.
“We’re doing it all ourselves, we just need consent,” Ms Woods said.
After the road is built it will be maintained by RVC.
There is one large block of land in Box Ridge that Bogal wants to subdivide into 14 residential lots.
“Our DA to subdivide is about fairness and equity,” Ms Woods said.
“We want to offer home ownership to Aboriginal community members.”
“We have garbage collection (at the community). People use the local post office in Coraki, they don’t have a postal service and we want (street) lights to come on like other communities.”
General manager Vaughan Macdonald said they were working closely with Bogal to “get this through as quickly as possible”.
“The categorisation of the road was a stumbling block but we are keen to make it happen,” Mr Macdonald said.
All councillors at the meeting voted to support the Box Ridge request.
