Walgett Shire Council is in the process of making plans for the future development of Lightning Ridge.
In particular it is looking at three parcels of land around the town and examining the possible uses these can be put to.
The first is a LRMB policy reserve between Three Mile Road, Fantasia Street and the aerodrome, the second is freehold land at the intersection of Bill O'Brien Way and the Castlereagh Highway and the third is a Crown Land Reserve (designated 280078) to the north of the town.
According to real estate agent Danielle Osborne, there is a pressing need for residential development in Lightning Ridge.
"We definitely need it. It's the only way the town's going to be able to expand," she said.
The lack of suitable housing is self-evident.
At an auction last weekend there were 13 registered bidders all competing for the same property, while there are at least another half a dozen who have expressed interest in buying blocks of land should they become available.
"Ten years ago there were probably 100 houses on the market and now we're down to about a dozen," Ms Osborne said.
She attributed the sharp increase in demand to people moving into town from camps and retirees moving to Lightning Ridge for the cheap lifestyle.
"A couple can retire and sell their home in the city for $500,000, then come here and buy one for just $100,000," Ms Osborne said.
Council began looking at what could be done with the sites after the Lightning Ridge Miners Association requested that they be opened up for mining purposes.
Association secretary manager Maxine O'Brien said the areas had been reserved from mining since 1992 without being developed.
"They've been sitting there for some time now and nothing's happened," she said.
"If they're not going to use the land they may as well let us mine it."
Ms O'Brien said the expansion of the opal fields was as important as the development of the town.
"If we don't find any opal there's going to be no need for new houses."
She proposed a compromise whereby mining was allowed on the land, with a strict time limit, which would allow prospecting until the council was ready to develop it.
Another pressing developmental issue faced by Lightning Ridge is the need for a new waste disposal depot.
According to the latest State of the Environment Report the current depot is nearly at the end of its functional life, given that it is a former open cut opal mine which has nearly been filled to ground level.
Council has made the following designations of its preferred use for each site:
o Policy Reserve - Most suitable for residential and industrial development because it is close to utilities, adjoins existing residential and industrial lands and is at a relatively low risk of flooding or bushfire.
o Freehold Land - This area is the preferred location for commercial developments that should be located away from urban areas, such as grain storage, gravel processing or livestock transportation. It has access to sealed roads, is a moderate distance from town and has adequate surface water in the form of existing dams and the local catchment. It will be not be used for residential or industrial purposes because it has been deemed poor planning practices to encourage satellite developments away from the main Lightning Ridge urban area.
o Crown Reserve 280078 - The best site for future rubbish depots or effluent ponds because it is distant from most residences, would be easy to excavate and will have adequate access if the roads are improved.
Email a friend