Susanna Freymark
IndyNR.com has repeatedly asked the Northern Rivers Reconstruction Corporation for figures on buybacks, house-raising and retrofits for Kyogle and Richmond Valley LGAs.
Specifically, we asked whether offers have been made in Woodburn, Coraki and Broadwater.
But no figures have been released. Instead, the NRRC sent the general information below to IndyNR.com today, Friday, June 16, in response to our repeated requests for numbers in the two shires.
“The NRRC is currently prioritising close to 1,100 home buyback offers, along with another 340 home raising or home retrofit offers.
As of June 15, 145 home buyback offers have been accepted with 8 settlements complete.
Under the new flood mapping released this week, homes in all seven LGAs have been prioritised for the program based on the greatest risk to life in most flood scenarios with the most homes in Lismore prioritised followed by Tweed. The highest priority homes for the program are in areas that experience more frequent, high and fast floods.
The NRRC is proposing to pay prioritised homeowners a purchase price which considers market value of the property immediately before the February and March 2022 floods.
If a homeowner is unsatisfied with the NRRC’s assessment or decision under the Resilient Homes Program an appeals process is available.
The publicly available home buyback fact sheet states the opportunity for delayed settlement may also be available. This means that, if homeowners wish to stay in their property until they find alternative accommodation and it is safe to do so the NRRC will agree to a delayed settlement of usually up to one year. This explains the time between offers being accepted and settlement.
The NRRC is in the process of contacting homeowners registered for the Resilient Homes Program and remains on track to inform all homeowners of their prioritisation by mid-year.”
If you have had an offer made to you by NRRC or have been informed that you will not be accepted on the Resilient Homes Program and you live in Richmond Valley or Kyogle, please contact us at indynr.com@gmail.com
