Bark Hut Road rezone plan has Woolgoolga residents calling for infrastructure

A Woolgoolga community leader says his town wants investment laid out to prevent growing pains in the booming beachside suburb.

Lot 202 Bark Hut Road would be rezoned under a plan put forward by Vadejil Pty Ltd. The rezoning in Woolgoolga would pave the way for approximately 120 new lots and is located right next to the Wiigulga Sports Complex. Photo: Tim Jarrett

A rezone in West Woolgoolga has been welcomed with a caveat; residents want to see evidence of infrastructure investment well before the families move in.

A rezone proposal at Bark Hut Road has been approved by Coffs Harbour City Council, paving the way further investigation by the state government.

The agricultural land is next to the Wiigulga Sports Complex within the West Woolgoolga urban investigation area.

Up to 120 lots could be created on the block.

However, a part of the motion to proceed with the proposal has raised the ire of Northern Beaches Residents Association president Ray Willing, who says it amounts to “kicking the can down the road”.

Councillors resolved that future planning controls would be put in place for the site, and others in West Woolgoolga, to ensure that the overall area “is developed with a strong sense of place and neighbourhood amenity for future residents”.

Mr Willing said the resolution had been crafted by “legal geniuses” because all it meant was that “something will be planned in the future, to get money in future, to do things for residents in the future”.

He said the council should be prioritising investment in critical infrastructure like water, sewerage and transportation as Woolgoolga’s population grew.

“This is a matter for now as opposed to something for the future for ‘future residents’,” he said.

Councillors unanimously supported the rezoning proposal and will put it out for public exhibition in a motion that also included an amendment to the local environment plan.

Council staff stated in their report that amending the plan to include the Bark Hut Road area as a key site would limit development on the land until “adequate planning controls” were in place for the urban release area.

There has been a significant amount of residential development on the Northern Beaches in recent years.

The Woopi Beach Estate has reached stage five and Moonee Beach Estate announced in May that 91 lots across stages 1 and 2 had completely sold out.

Development of the Wiigulga sports complex was brought forward several years after the state and federal agreed fund $18 million of its projected $24.7 million cost as part of Covid-19 stimulus measures.

The sports complex was developed to meet current and future demand for a range of sporting codes on the Northern Beaches.

It will include additional playing fields for AFL and cricket as well as an indoor sports centre with basketball and netball courts, a stage and multipurpose rooms.