To stream today’s Council meeting, follow this link to the Agenda and Minutes page and click on the video icon next to the 10 November Meeting event.

Kyogle Council is planning to build stage one of a multi-purpose community facility that provides sport and leisure, cultural and recreational opportunities for people of all ages and can also serve as an evacuation centre during emergencies.

The proposed Kyogle Memorial Recreation Centre will provide flexible spaces that at its heart is a contemporary sports and youth activities hall complemented by activity rooms, an office, and modern amenities including a  parents room — to view the design plans click here.

Council is planning to build the Rec Centre on Council land known as Memorial Park which has as its central feature the Kyogle War Memorial and also accommodates the existing Youth Centre which operates part time from a small building.

It is proposed that:

• A wide range of sports could be played at “Rec Centre” including netball, basketball, volleyball, futsal, pickleball, badminton
• The Rec Centre would be available for use by local primary and secondary schools as well as youth groups during and outside of school hours
• The flexible activity rooms, which include a kitchenette, could be used as two smaller or one larger meeting room
• These rooms could be adapted to host cultural programs, music, youth activities, and events for all ages
• The Rec Centre’s design honours the existing memorial space, ensuring it remains a focal point during ANZAC Day, Remembrance Day and other commemorations
• The Rec Centre would become a wet weather alternative gathering point for events at the Cenotaph
• During emergencies, the building would serve as an evacuation centre, linking to the existing commercial kitchen in the Community Centre on Bloore Street
• The design features a covered concrete forecourt and covered entryway/ramp
• A new path would link the Rec Centre to Bloore Street and the Community Centre
• The Rec Centre forms stage 1 of what will be a larger facility including a gym and indoor pools
• Future stages would be built as funding becomes available.

A development application for the proposed Rec Centre is on public exhibition.

(All work is subject to weather conditions.)

Council’s three bridge crews are currently working on:

• Ryans Bridge on the Clarence Way – the new deck was poured on Monday (18 August).
• Upper Tooloom Bridge on Paddys Flat Road – the crew has completed piling and will be pouring the first abutment this week.
• Grieves Crossing – girders have been placed on two of the three spans with the third span to be delivered this week.

The culvert crew is replacing pipes on Old Bruxner Road and will move to Williams Road later this week. Drainage work is also being undertaken on Eden Creek Road.

Council has seven grading crews out and about at the moment, with maintenance grading being undertaken on Brown Knob Road, Yabbra Road, and Imbreys Road.

Flood damage repair works (grading) are being undertaken on Dyraaba Road, Rodgers Road, and Eden Creek Road, while Davis Road is being resheeted. Killaloe Road is next in line to be resheeted.

Roads next in line to be graded include: Newtons, Joes Box, Imesons, Dingo Gully, and Simpkins Creek.

Council is patching potholes in and around Woodenbong and surrounding area, while road rehabilitation works continue on Clarence Way and Afterlee Road.

Landslip repairs are being carried out on: five sites on Lions Road above the Border Loop Lookout; three locations on Kyogle Road (near Lillian Rock Road, Sudiros Corner, and on the Cawongla Range); Iron Pot Creek Road at Murphys Corner; and Homeleigh Road.

Council is continuing to closely monitor the major landslip near Logans Bridge Road on Iron Pot Creek Road.

Work crews are also replacing causeways damaged in the 2022 flood on Sandy Creek Road and Horseshoe Creek Road, while pipes on the Dam Access Road are being replaced in preparation for road rehabilitation works.

Work on the new $3.3 million Montgomerys Bridge is expected to start before the end of the year.

Council at its August meeting accepted a tender for the demolition of the old steel and timber bridge which has been closed since November 2020 for safety reasons.

Work to pull down the old bridge is scheduled to start in early October for completion at the end of October. The way will then be clear for construction of the new bridge to start before Christmas.  All going to plan the new bridge, to be built on the existing alignment, will be open to traffic by mid-2026.

This will come as a relief to residents living west of the bridge who have had to detour an extra 16km each way around the old bridge.

Kyogle Mayor Cr Danielle Mulholland said Council was thrilled to be able to announce work on the new bridge will start soon.

“Council acknowledges that the bridge closure has not been easy for Ghinni Ghi and Iron Pot Creek Road residents and we thank them for their patience and understanding,” Cr Mulholland said.

“We’ve worked really hard over the past few years to secure funding for this project.  We put in several applications under the Fixing Country Bridges Program before finally winning a Regional Roads Program grant as a part of the State Election Commitment announced in mid-2024.”

The grant package of $12 million will allow Council to replace 12 bridges, including Montgomerys, in its current bridge replacement program.

“Council is grateful to the State Government for recognising the needs of our communities and providing the funds for the 12 bridges,” Cr Mulholland said.

“We couldn’t do what we do for our communities without the funding support of the State and Federal Governments. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, everyone wins when all levels of governments work hand in hand.”

The new three-span Montgomerys bridge will be 54m in length and five metres wide. The bridge’s substructure will feature reinforced concrete abutments, and concrete bored piles and central piers.  The super structure will be made up of concrete planks, with deck cast in-situ. For safety reasons, the new bridge will have a guard rail system incorporated into the design.

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is working with CSIRO to identify flood mitigation options for the Richmond River catchment. This is part of the Northern Rivers Resilience Initiative (NRRI).

As part of this work, CSIRO has developed a hydrodynamic model for the Richmond River catchment. Details on how the model was developed and validated were made available in a technical report released on 30 June 2025.

The model will be used by CSIRO to see how different flood mitigation options impact the flow of water through the catchment during flood events.

To determine which flood mitigation options will be modelled, NEMA and CSIRO are consulting the community, and will hold a series of community forums throughout the Northern Rivers  including one at Kyogle on Friday, 8 August.  It will be held at the Kyogle Community Centre (formerly known as the Seniors Centre) at 3 Bloore Street from 10am to 6pm.

Community members are invited to drop in anytime during the session to:

• Hear directly from CSIRO about the model and its findings
• Ask questions and engage with technical experts
• Provide input on possible flood reduction options

To register your attendance, follow this link.