$274,050 grant delay holds up Lennox Head streetscape designs

A $274,050 Get NSW Active grant application for Lennox Head streetscape design work remains under assessment, delaying the background studies and detailed designs needed for planning approvals and future tendering.

Ballina Shire Council applied to Transport for NSW for the funding in 2025. The grant decision was expected in May 2026, but has been delayed. No revised decision date has been given.

The proposed work covers public streetscape upgrades under the adopted master plan, including speed-zone changes, changes to the road environment, a shared zone, pedestrian-priority crossings and a connection to the school.

The scope also includes entry treatments, parking and pedestrian infrastructure on Hinterland Way, street furniture, tree planting and other ancillary infrastructure.

Council said the detailed design funded through the application is required before the project can progress through planning approvals and subsequent tendering. The delay therefore leaves the future works without a confirmed design or tendering timetable.

For local contractors, engineering consultants and urban designers, the application remains the gateway to the studies and design work required before the streetscape project can advance to procurement. The funding has been sought, but no approval has been announced.

The application was discussed as part of an update on the Lennox Head public streetscape works. Council’s update did not state when the grant decision would be made, when the design work would begin or when construction could be advertised for tender.

The grant is intended to fund the preparatory work rather than the construction itself. If funding proceeds, the background studies and detailed designs will support approvals and future tendering for the public-space upgrades.