ABOVE: The interior of the Woodburn IGA has been damaged by floods.
Susanna Freymark
Woodburn IGA remains closed from the damage in last February’s floods.
At the Richmond Valley council meeting on Tuesday, June 20, Councillor Robert Hayes asked if the council had received replies from the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation chief executive David Witherdin, State MP Janelle Saffin or Minister for Planning and Open Spaces Paul Scully who had been contacted about financially supporting the reopening of the supermarket.
Council’s general manager Vaughan Macdonald said the council received a letter from Mr Witherdin.
“In summary, the focus is on housing recovery,” Mr Macdonald said.
“They pretty much said no support is available for the IGA. No programs fit into that.
“That bird has flown.”
It leaves the future of the Woodburn supermarket uncertain.
Supermarket owners Tania and Neale Hundy were seeking financial support to re-open the IGA supermarket on River St, Woodburn. They had only finished renovating the IGA supermarket 13 months before the floods hit.
The council estimates that the IGA is facing recovery expenses of $750,000–$1million.
