Boolaroo deal opens door for retail giants to develop at Lake Macquarie
A deal which will see the state government take control of the former Pasminco site in Boolaroo is set to generate thousands of jobs and $1.8 billion for the Lake Macquarie economy.
Newcastle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Newcastle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Lake Macquarie council slammed for six-storey development at Toronto
- Sad day for Awaba House which burnt to the ground
It has been a long time coming but finally a deal by the NSW government could see retail giants IKEA and Costco, as well as residential development, arrive at Boolaroo.
The deal is set to unlock more than two and a half thousand jobs and generate $1.8 billion for the Lake Macquarie economy and add up to 700 new homes.
The state government are set to take control of the former Pasminco lead and zinc smelter site at Boolaroo, which will unlock the area to deliver unprecedented growth and investment.
It means the ongoing maintenance of the containment cell of the site will be the responsibility of the state government, with the 92-hectare site near Bunnings transferred to the Hunter Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC).
Spokesman for the Boolaroo Action Group Jim Sullivan is applauding the deal.
“The community have been tirelessly lobbying the government for years to move forward on this piece of land and it’s a great deal for the local community,” he said.
“The writing was on the wall for the Pasminco corporation, they tried to resurrect development plans and they just didn’t have the money and the expertise to do it.
“IKEA and Costco are definitely back on the map and I think both those developments will come forward.
“The community itself has driven it, not politicians and local council, it is through constant meetings and lobbying our politicians to say what’s happening here is completely wrong.”
Operations at the site halted in 2002 and remediation works have taken place, but it has been locked in a legal stalemate with the land administrator, stopping any possible developments for happening.
The acquisition will now allow for land to be sold off in parcels so numerous developments can take place.
“It’s been disappointing that legal mechanisms have been used by the administrator to obstruct and frustrate good outcomes for so many years, and indeed by Pasminco which left this community with an incredibly difficult mess to deal with when they walked away in 2002,” Lake Macquarie MP Greg Piper said.
“A lot of people have worked very hard for a very long time on this, and I’m grateful that we’ve had a Government and a Minister in Melinda Pavey who have listened to us and answered the call.
“Make no mistake, this deal will see Boolaroo become an economic powerhouse and the flow-on effect to surrounding areas will be very substantial.
“There is scope for 730 new homes and more than 40 hectares of job-generating commercial land.
“All up, the site has the capacity to generate an estimated 2643 new jobs and generate $1.826 billion in economic benefit for the region.
“That includes 837 full-time jobs post construction, and a post-construction benefit to the community of $436 million every year.”
Mr Sullivan said the first job of the state government is to repair peoples homes that surround the smelter.
“That is paramount to this whole deal,” he said.
“Homeowners are being forced to spend 50 and 60 thousand dollars to remediate or remove pollutants from their land.
“It’s a horrendous situation. The quicker the government takes over this process the better.
“Finally the government has seen the writing on the wall, they’ve got to step in and fix this.”
“We’re hopeful and overwhelmed that the government has finally done the right thing but we will wait to see, we don’t want to wait another ten years.”
WELCOME TO THE NEWCASTLE NEWS
NewsLocal has launched the The Newcastle News — a new community website that will deliver hyperlocal news for the Newcastle and the Hunter Region — from Port Stephens in the north, Lake Macquarie in the south and throughout the beautiful Hunter Valley region.
Readers can connect on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and email: thenewcastlenews@news.com.au
The Newcastle News will update readers daily at www.thenewcastlenews.com.au.