BYPASS START: 30% of properties still to be acquired

Process to secure land for bypass still ongoing as region enjoys property boom

Sod turning for the Coffs Harbour bypass and an image of properties to be acquired along the proposed bypass route.

ALMOST a third of the properties on the Coffs Harbour bypass route are yet to acquired, despite State and Federal politicians officially starting the project yesterday.

There are 151 properties impacted by the future bypass, most of which have been already secured by Transport for NSW, however, 30 per cent of properties to be fully or partially acquired remain in private hands.

That was confirmed yesterday by Transport for NSW regional director Anna Zycki who said it was usual for this type of large scale project.

Anna Zycki Regional director north for Transport for NSW addresses the media before the opening of the Glenugie to Tyndale bypass. Photo: Tim Jarrett

Ms Zycki said there was a lot of work to do with each owner to ensure an outcome which satisfied both parties, and added that in some cases it wasn't until a design was finalised that they could set property boundaries.

And there were a variety of reasons as to why some properties remained privately owned, including complex ownership structures, diversity in land uses and scale of acquisition.

"We need to work through with each owner what their particular circumstances are and they need to have time to have valuations and to get independent advice," she said.

"There are a lot of steps to go through in that process."

A map released in June indicating affected properties in a section of the Coffs Harbour bypass. The properties in blue are privately owned and yet to be acquired by TfNSW. The ones in green are already owned by TfNSW.

The 2019 Environmental Impact Statement says of the 151 properties not already owned by TfNSW, there were 19 full and 73 partial acquisitions.

TfNSW had already acquired more than 200 hectares of land and in some circumstances property owners negotiated for total acquisition although the full property was not required.

While Transport Minister Paul Toole estimated it would be another year before the more significant bypass works began, Ms Zycki said there may be some instances where TfNSW would have to "work towards" a compulsory acquisition.

NSW Roads Minister Paul Toole, Cowper MP Pat Conaghan, Coffs Harbour MP Gurmesh Singh and Deputy Premier John Barilaro turn the first sod marking the official "beginning" of the Coffs Harbour bypass project.

When it was suggested the booming Coffs Harbour property market might mean properties acquired later might have a higher valuation, Ms Zycki said price was not necessarily something that impacted their decisions.

"We work through with each property owner depending on their circumstances … whether it is a full or partial acquisition, the type of property, the zoning, all of those things affect price," she said.

"People have the right to have independent valuations and independent advice through that process."