Old macca farm cleared for 234-lot development

WITH cheap interest rates and good-sized blocks of land, this Goonellabah residential development is a "bit of a rarity".

SELLING WELL: Waterford Park Stage 5 Lots along Oliver Road in Goonellabah. Picture: Marc Stapelberg

THE old macadamia farm located off Oliver Avenue in Goonellabah has been cleared as developers make room for stage six of the Waterford Park Estate residential development.

Stage six includes 25 northeast-facing lots with a view looking over Tucki Tucki Creek.

The 16-stage development, which is opposite the Lismore Workers Sports Club and near Holland St, consists of 234 residential lots.

Development consultant, John Newton, who is the director of Newton Denny Chappelle, said each stage has been selling well.

"At the moment it's perfect with the cheap interest rests," he said.

Mr Newton said this development was also a "bit of a rarity these days".

"It's one of the last opportunities people will get to buy a block of land of these sizes," he said.

"The trend these days is that everyone has been forced into small blocks ... this consent is from 2004, back when blocks were 800sqm or more."

There is one lot left to sell as part of stage five - a 1002sqm duplex block selling for $240,000.

Michael Shay, the prinicpal of LJ Hooker Ballina which is the marketing agent for the estate, said another factor was its prime location in Goonellabah.

"The council chambers is nearby, the sports club is across the road ... it's on the right side of Lismore to get to the coast," he said.

In the 2014 planning proposal to Lismore Council the community two of the benefits were identified as: More housing options with minimal impacts, and a contribution to meeting the council's housing target.

The proposal states "the site is identified as State Significant farmland, but is currently not being used for agricultural purposes".

Further, when addressing impacts on local wildlife, it states that according to the Comprehensive Koala Plan of Management for South East Lismore 2013, there is no threat to primary or secondary koala habitat.

Release of stage six of the development is expected in June next year.