GemLife agrees to conserve more than 75% of controversial land lease site

The Weekly SOURCE reported last month that the NSW Land and Environment Court approved the land lease community operator’s proposal in West Ballina in the NSW’s Northern Rivers.

The article stated the court in its ruling directed GemLife and Ballina Shire Council “to confer and reach agreement on conditions of consent that reflect the findings in this judgment by 27 February 2026”.

Agreement of conditions were agreed on 12 March, bringinging an end to GemLife’s six-year fight to build what was originally a $74 million 230-home land lease community on 56.36ha of land.

The site will be a $105 million land lease community of 110 ‘low-maintenance homes’, along with “$15 million of facilities designed to support active and connected living” including a residents’ clubhouse featuring:

• indoor pool;
• bowling alley;
• gym;
• games room and hall; and
• pickleball court.

“More than 75% of the site will be dedicated to a conservation reserve, with 46.6 hectares of its 57 hectares permanently protected coastal wetlands and estuarine habitat’,” GemLife said in a statement.

“This includes 40.5 hectares protected under a biobanking agreement and 4.24 hectares under a biodiversity stewardship agreement with the State Government.”

The NSW Land and Environmental Court dismissed 41 points raised by Ballina Shire Council relating to issues from conservation and biodiversity through to stormwater and flood management.

Conservation reserve

GemLife Managing Director and Group CEO Adrian Puljich said: “The conservation reserve will be rehabilitated and actively managed in perpetuity, including weed control, feral animal management and restoration of natural hydrology. The site design also incorporates bio-retention basins and water quality treatment infrastructure to protect downstream waterways and coastal ecosystems.

“We refined our original proposal through the process, reducing the number of homes and increasing the extent of conservation land. The approved outcome provides for quality new housing for over 50s in Ballina, while ensuring long-term environmental protection across the majority of the site.

“More than three quarters of the site will be dedicated to a conservation reserve, protecting mangrove forest, saltmarsh and swamp oak communities, along with habitat for species such as the Mangrove Honeyeater and Collared Kingfisher.

“New walking trails will be situated throughout, opening access to this beautiful reserve overlooking the Richmond River and Emigrant Creek for the broader community to enjoy.

“Homes will be built on a section of the site that has largely been cleared for past agricultural uses, including cattle grazing and sugar cane farming.

“The community is sensitively designed with eco-friendly homes accented with wood, glass and stone to complement the surrounding environment, and will utilise green energy through an on-site virtual power plant (VPP), maximising solar use.”

Adrian said Australian Census data shows nearly half (47.8%) of Ballina’s population is over 50, with a median age of 48, compared to just 39 and 38 in New South Wales and Australia-wide respectively.

“That equates to more than 22,000 people living in this region who will likely need downsizer housing in the short to medium term, yet the options remain extremely limited,” Adrian said.

Construction is anticipated to begin in late 2026.