Ballina and Lennox Head will soon be covered by a new $1 million CCTV network after councillors unanimously approved the rollout at the first meeting of 2026.

The project will design, install and commission a modern, scalable closed-circuit television system across priority public spaces in the Ballina CBD, outer corridors and Lennox Head.

It includes Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) at key gateway locations and view-only access for Ballina Police Station.

The capital cost, estimated at $1 million over the 2025/26 and 2026/27 financial years, will be fully funded by the Federal Government under its Strengthening Community Safety – Election Commitment.

Deputy Mayor Damian Loone, a former NSW Police detective, said the funding delivered on an election promise.

“It’s great to see that this has come through on a promise,” Cr Loone told the chamber.

He said the system was designed to deter crime and intervene early.

“It’ll be on the police network. Nobody will sit at the cameras 24/7, but the police station is manned 24/7,” he said.

“If something looks suspicious, they can send a car down there. That was the whole idea — to try and prevent incidents before they happen.”

How the system will work

The cameras will not record audio and there is no facial recognition capability in the current proposal.

Councillors were told the system’s ANPR will allow police to identify stolen vehicles, disqualified drivers and cars linked to serious offences.

“When a stolen car comes past, it flashes up on your screen in big red letters,” Cr Loone said.

Footage will be timestamped and available for review after incidents. Police can search recordings based on the reported time of an offence and track suspects through vehicles, clothing or movement patterns.

Council will retain ownership of the data.

The business paper states council will implement privacy and governance controls including signage, access controls, audit trails, chain-of-custody protocols and formal access arrangements with NSW Police.

The federal funding was based on recommendations from a specialist report which identified priority locations using crime intelligence data.

Mayor Sharon Cadwallader said the project had been long sought but was previously cost-prohibitive.

“This is something we have tried to get for a very long time,” she said.

She said advances in technology meant installation would not require extensive road excavation, reducing infrastructure costs.

Hotspots identified

Councillors were told locations were selected in consultation with police and based on intelligence reports updated weekly.

Cr Loone said the cameras would target known trouble spots.

“It relies heavily on pinpointing prime hot spots through intelligence reports,” he said.

Councillors asked whether crime could simply shift elsewhere once cameras were installed.

“Leopards don’t change their spots,” Cr Loone said.

“It doesn’t drag them into other areas.”

He said offenders often forget cameras are present.

“People get lazy. They forget they’re there.”

Ongoing costs

The report estimates ongoing operational and maintenance costs at $40,000 per year.

Council’s proposed Special Rate Variation includes funding to maintain and operate the network.

If the SRV is not approved, council will need to identify alternative funding to cover the recurrent costs.

The motion was carried unanimously.

WHERE THE CAMERAS WILL BE INSTALLED

Ballina
• Martin and River streets
• Pedestrian crossing (Fawcett Street) – River Street
• Cherry and River streets
• Pedestrian crossing (Wigmore Arcade) – River Street
• Moon and River streets
• Pedestrian crossing (Ballina Disposals)
• Grant and River streets
• Grant and Tamar streets
• Moon and Tamar streets
• Cherry and Tamar streets
• River Street and River Bend Drive
• Tamarind Drive and North Creek Road
• The Coast Road / Angels Beach Drive

Lennox Head
• Ballina and Byron streets
• Ballina Street pedestrian crossing