Mid-North Coast: The major developments set to make their mark on the region
The pace of development along the Mid-North Coast is evolving at a rapid rate. Here are some of the planned and completed projects stretching between the Hawks Nest to Coffs Harbour coastline.
Mid-North Coast
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The face of the Mid-North Coast is changing.
More and more people are flocking to the region for a lifestyle change and greater socio-economic reasons, resulting in a huge demand for major development opportunities.
Since its inception in September 2020, The Mid-North Coast News has been following the progress of a number of major projects and developments over the last seven months.
Below, we’ve outlined some of the key developments that could play a major role in the transformation of several coastal towns in the future.
CONGARINNI NORTH HOUSING PROPOSAL
An $83 million seniors housing proposal aimed at generating a greater supply of affordable housing in NSW has been lodged for a 13.5ha block on the Mid-North Coast.
The proposal, comprising of 276 self-contained dwellings, a residential care facility of 75 beds and recreational facilities is before the NSW Northern Regional Planning Panel for consideration at Conagrinni North, on the outskirts of Macksville.
The 276 self-contained dwellings consist of 54 three bedroom properties each containing a carport for two car spaces, open plan kitchen, dining and living areas and combined bathroom and laundry.
There are also plans for 222, two-bedroom dwellings, with carports for two car spaces, open plan kitchen, dining and living area and combined bathroom and laundry.
The development consists of two and three bed single storey houses. In addition to the seniors proposal is a residential care facility to be built at the entrance to the site located between a proposed helipad and recreation facility.
The 75 room, two-storey facility will be run by 15 staff and comprise of a reception, library, salon and activities areas, a lounge and dining areas and associated kitchens on each level, nursing stations and assisted bathrooms, laundry, utilities, storage, garbage, plant and service areas.
A sports centre containing recreational facilities such as an aerobics and weights room, change facilities, physiotherapist room a 25-metre indoor pool and bowling green are also proposed.
HARRINGTON MARINA
A $1.4 million plan to transform the Harrington Marina Complex at Electra Pde into a swanky waterside tourist accommodation and restaurant precinct has been approved by Mid Coast Council.
The major redevelopment plans will transform the commercial complex currently housing a gym, dance studio, real estate and Salvation Army Shop into a restaurant and 14 tourist accommodation dwellings.
The dwellings will vary from one to three bedrooms, with the revamp also including a watercraft hire centre.
A planner for the project said the development came after a decline in interest for services in the complex.
The approved plans will see a restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner established at the centre of the complex, operating from 7am to midnight seven days a week.
The planner said four studio apartments, three one, six two, and one three-bedroom flat would be built as part of the development.
A council planner said the development was “considered appropriate” before imposing a series of specific conditions around staging of construction and tree management.
$1B HYDRO ELECTRIC SCHEME
A $1 billion hydro-electric storage system that operates like a ‘giant water battery’ using renewable solar sources, would ensure a guaranteed supply of water for Kempsey during significant droughts.
The Oven Mountain pumped-hydro project has been declared Critical State Significant Infrastructure by the NSW Government and will kickstart the country’s largest Renewable Energy Zone and unlock opportunities for 600 regional jobs.
It will require a one-off fill of water of up to 6 gigalitres in a reservoir on private property, halfway between Kempsey and Armidale at Oven Mountain. It will cut down energy costs by providing up to 600MW of renewable energy every 12 hours.
The project, which is a joint partnership between Alinta Energy and The Oven Mountain Pumped Hydro Storage Project, will work as a ‘closed loop system.’ It does not require any dam or river systems, instead, it works in a virtuous cycle whereby water is pumped up hill during off peak times – or when the price is low, and pumped down hill when the price is high and energy is needed.
The proponent will now need to request assessment requirements for the preparation of an environmental-impact statement (EIS). Once received, the EIS will go on exhibition for community feedback and detailed assessment by the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment before a final decision is made.
$31M CINEMA COMPLEX
The owner of a proposed $31 million development earmarked for a vacant block of land adjacent to Port Macquarie Kmart is still fighting for the project despite it being refused.
A two-year tug of war between the community, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council and United Cinemas Australia over the mixed-use development, which includes nine cinemas screens, indoor bowling facility and retail premises, was knocked back by the Northern Region Planning Panel late last year.
About 291 submissions were received during three exhibition phases that the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council put on for community input. It led to a number of amendments over the two year period, which commenced when the DA was initially lodged in December.
These included a reduction in building heights and gross floor area, revised signage, changes to architectural treatment and basement carparking layout, and improved pedestrian access.
While the report acknowledged that many of these amendments satisfied the Council’s DCP, it was not enough to justify a recommendation for approval.
Mr Mustaca is working with the Council on a suitable work around that will satisfy the best interests of the public.
$11M SKYDIVING ADVENTURE PARK
Tourists travelling to the beautiful Macleay Valley, and those living closer to home, will soon be able to test their limits at a new $11 million Skydiving Adventure Park to be built at Kempsey Airport.
The multimillion-dollar facility is being funded by the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, a co-funded arrangement by the NSW and Commonwealth governments that seeks to provide bushfire ravaged communities with economic assistance.
It will include skydiving training facilities; a canopy swoop pond; canopy piloting hangar; an indoor rock climbing gym; amenities and accommodation facilities.
The project will provide a major attraction to the region and help promote the Macleay Valley to thrill seeking tourists looking for that extra bit of holidaying adventure.
The project will immediately create around 33 construction jobs and once complete and provide for approximately 60 employment opportunities directly associated with running the facility.
18.6M COUNCIL BUILDING
A three year plan to consolidate more than 400 administrative staff across four separate office sites came to fruition in January with the opening of the $18.6 million MidCoast Council building.
The 10,000sq m MidCoast Council building at 2 Biripi Way has been completely restored from the former home and building supply chain outlet, Masters, into a revitalised administration complex on the outskirts of Taree.
The building was officially handed over from builders AW Edwards to the Council in early December, bringing to a close three years of planning, design and construction on the former Masters site which was acquired by Council in 2017 for $7 million.
About $18.6 million has been spent on the fit-out of the premises since. Staff will begin occupying the building in early January ready for public opening on January 7.
The consolidation into the new Yalawanyi Ganya building, which is an indigenous name for sitting or meeting place, is the first time in the Council’s short, four-year history that all administrative staff have worked under the same roof.
A customer service site at 4 Breeze Parade, Forster, will continue to operate until staff are relocated to the new Forster Civic Precinct, which is still under construction. Physical transacting will still be able to occur at Stroud, Forster, Gloucester and Tea Gardens.
$100M TEA GARDENS DEVELOPMENT
The single largest development ever proposed for the Tea Gardens community is still pending after a state planning panel delayed a final decision into the project.
The NSW Northern Region Planning Panel (NRPP) was due to determine the project prior to Christmas, following a public meeting where members of the panel, community and developers discussed the project at length.
The Parry’s Cove proposal, submitted by developers Sheargold and approved by MidCoast Council, sets out plans for a 725-lot residential development on the edge of the Myall River surrounded by 100ha of natural bushland.
Set to generate up to 1841 construction jobs over 10 years and provide an additional 704 permanent local jobs thereafter, the development is expected to deliver upwards of $1 billion to the local community when it is complete in 10 years’ time.
Should the project be approved, residents of the future residential precinct will have access to a range of on-site features including a purpose-built wellness centre including a state-of-the-art gym, a heated indoor pool, yoga and pilates studio.
A residents’ hub will also be built, featuring a large indoor-outdoor space, while a commercial-grade kitchen, barbecue facilities, bocce court, community veggie patch, movie screen, outdoor fireplaces, expansive decks and covered lookouts will look out over a lake.
$1B COFFS HARBOUR BYPASS
A determination on the long-awaited approval for one of the state’s most critical pieces of road infrastructure, the Coffs Harbour Bypass, has been made by NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes.
The approval for the $1.8 billion project lays to rest decades of discussions about the viability of the project, and answers the repeated calls from the community to help ease the choke on traffic that other Pacific Highway towns have been gifted during recent upgrades.
The 14km stretch of four-lane divided highway will include the construction of three tunnels between Englands Rd in the south to Sapphire in the north. The tunnels, which was the preferred community option over road cuttings, will be built at Roberts Hill, Shephards Lane and Gatleys Rd.
The tunnels range in length of between 190 metres and 450 metres. The project is being funded by both State and Federal Governments, and has been identified as Critical State Significant Infrastructure (CSSI) under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979.
PORT MACQUARIE OCEAN TIDAL POOL
A new ocean pool to be built at Port Macquarie’s Oxley Beach is already drawing interest from hospitality traders buoyed by the potential influx of tourists the development could bring to the east end of town.
Funding for the $4.5 million Olympic-sized ocean pool, the first of its kind to be built in NSW since the 1960s, has been secured and the committee behind the project have awarded a contract to Newcastle firm Projence to progress with planning.
About $500,000 has been put aside for Projence to project manage the next stage of planning, before a DA can be submitted to Port Macquarie Hastings-Council in the next 12-18 months. The remaining $4 million, all funded by the Federal Government, will go towards construction.
Oxley Beach was chosen as the preferred location of about eight sites that were examined as part of a feasibility report.
The report, commissioned by the Ocean Tidal Pool Committee and authored by coastal engineer James Carley, found that the geology and existing natural landscapes of the beach were best suited to a development of the size and scale being considered.
The committee hopes to work in partnership with the Birpai Local Aboriginal Land Council and desires indigenous artwork to be featured on the public concourse to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land.
The Port Macquarie Tidal Pool Committee will undertake further detailed studies before submitting a DA to Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.
$58M AIRPORT BUSINESS PARK
A $58 million business park will be built at Port Macquarie Airport after the NSW Government approved plans for the development to proceed.
NSW Planning Minister Rob Stokes signed off on a number of important changes to Port Macquarie’s local environmental plan (LEP) 2011, which will allow Port Macquarie-Hastings Council – the airport’s owner – to forge ahead with its development of the Port Macquarie Business Park.
The project, first proposed in a 2010 Airport Masterplan, will help support the growth of the Port Macquarie Airport, which is the fifth largest regional airport in NSW (by passengers).
It is expected that passengers numbers will double from 230,000 in 2020, to approximately 450,000 passengers each year by 2030. The NSW Government North Coast Regional report confirms the airport can be a key driver of, and catalyst, for regional growth.
The Port Macquarie Business Park development is one of 10 projects that was part of Tranche five in the NSW Government’s Planning System Acceleration Program, which has been fast-tracking planning assessments to keep people in jobs and stimulate the economy during the COVID-19 crisis.
TALLWOODS VILLAGE SUBDIVISION
A proposal to subdivide more than 164 lots of land to cater for a massive 17ha residential expansion of the Tallwoods Village estate at Hallidays Point has been lodged with MidCoast Council.
The plans, lodged with the council on Monday, follow a 2017 change of land use in which the subject site was changed from rural to a mix of environmental conservation and residential to allow for the future expansion of the popular Tallwoods Village estate.
Plans released by MidCoast Council at the time indicated that the change of land use would pave the way for a future expansion project of around 80 lots.
These latest plans, however, are double that amount with 164 lots earmarked for development. It is not known yet what the cost of the expansion project will be until the subdivision occurs and a development application to expand the site is lodged.
Tallwoods Village currently comprises of a number of established residential homes and a world-class, 18-hole championship, on-site restaurant and twelve bungalow-styled accommodation outlets where people are able to stay and play.
The subdivision plans, lodged by Coastplan, state that the subject land is suitable for urban growth and meets local and regional strategies for the Mid North Coast.
$66M CSU EXPANSION
Completion of CSU’s ‘Stage 2 Development’ will see the campus triple its student intake from 1000 to 2800 people, making it Australia’s largest regional international university campus.
The ‘Stage Two Development’ is funded by the NSW government and CSU and, built over 6300sq m, reaffirms the university’s commitment to its clean energy strategy and sustainability practices, with all roofs featuring solar arrays.
Stage 2a contains staff offices, science laboratories, small lecture rooms as well as a gym.
Discussions are in place with the Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to develop walking and cycling paths through bushland around Stage Two to support the community’s connection with the emerging health and education precinct.
Stage 2b includes the Port Macquarie International Education Centre, a NSW Emergency Services training room, an Innovation Hub, and student support and amenity services
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