newy.com.au – DOMA Group has been chosen to deliver Honeysuckle HQ, a major mixed-use precinct planned for Newcastle’s last large harbourfront development lands, with about 1000 homes, commercial and retail space, a 180-room hotel, a conference centre and more than 11,000 square metres of public open space forming the final stage of the Honeysuckle renewal.
The NSW Government announcement confirms the Canberra-based developer as the successful delivery partner for the western end of the precinct, where the project will straddle Honeysuckle Drive at the Hannell Street intersection. The site is the last remaining waterfront development land on the northern side of Honeysuckle Drive and the gateway development land on the southern side, placing the project between the harbour, Cottage Creek, Wickham and the emerging West End CBD.
The proposal is pitched as a day-to-night waterfront district rather than a single housing project. Its expected to include cafes, casual and formal dining, a cinema, a brewery, a local grocer, a cultural centre and health and wellness businesses, with wide promenades, shared zones and view corridors intended to keep public access to the harbour at the centre of the design. HCCDC describes the ambition as an “18-hour” economy, drawing people from morning coffee through to evening meals, entertainment and cultural uses.
The development will include commercial and retail floorspace designed to support about 4000 workers, as well as a 180-room hotel and a 500-seat conference centre. The heritage-listed former Wickham School of Arts building will be retained and adaptively reused, anchoring a new Arts Square and forming part of the broader hotel and conference centre precinct.
Minister for the Hunter Yasmin Catley said the project would deliver homes, jobs and investment for a growing region. “This is the final piece of a transformation that has turned old industrial land into one of the best waterfront precincts in Australia,” she said. “This is exactly the kind of project the Hunter deserves – ambitious, practical and built around what makes Newcastle great: the harbour, the heritage and the people.”
Planning Minister Paul Scully said the project aligned with the government’s push to put new homes in well-located areas. “This is exactly the kind of city-shaping project the Minns Labor Government wants to see more of. Delivering new homes, jobs, public spaces and economic activity in the heart of Newcastle,” he said. “We know NSW needs more homes and that means unlocking well-located land close to transport, jobs, and entertainment, while creating vibrant communities people want to live in.”
The project is also being framed as a major economic driver for Newcastle and the wider Hunter. The government expects construction to contribute about $80 million a year to the economy, while the completed precinct is forecast to generate about $133 million annually.
HCCDC says the development will be delivered in stages over an expected 15-year timeframe. Site preparation is expected to begin in 2026, DOMA is expected to lodge the masterplan and Stage 1 development applications by the end of 2026, and HCCDC says it will lead mine-grouting work before Stage 1 groundworks, which are expected to begin in 2028. The staged construction program is expected to run east to west, with final delivery anticipated about 2041.
The land has been earmarked for higher-density development under existing planning controls, and HCCDC says the precinct could include some of Newcastle’s tallest buildings, up to about 100 metres, stepping down to about 30 metres closer to the waterfront. The 2021 Honeysuckle Ideas report identified the two final undeveloped parcels as Throsby and Wickham, then described as 2.2 hectares and 1.1 hectares respectively, with mixed-use and commercial core zoning.
The new public domain is one of the central elements of the plan. DOMA’s proposal includes more than 11,000 square metres of public open space, including a waterfront park known as Honeysuckle Green, an Arts Square plaza around the Wickham School of Arts, accessways, laneways, shared zones and view corridors. HCCDC will also develop the western bank of Cottage Creek, improve Tree of Knowledge Park and continue the waterfront promenade connection between Cottage Creek and Wickham.
Public parking will change as the precinct is built. HCCDC says the development will include about 2400 parking spaces overall, many for commercial and retail tenants, with a public parking station of more than 200 spaces planned for visitors. The temporary Throsby commuter car park will be gradually removed as the land is repurposed, with parking, walking, cycling and public transport expected to operate together as the precinct changes.
The project does not list dedicated social or affordable dwellings. HCCDC says the development will instead make staged contributions to City of Newcastle’s Affordable Housing Contribution Scheme, with the details to be resolved through the development application process.
The selection of DOMA follows a process that began with an expressions of interest campaign in 2022. Shortlisted proponents were invited into two Call for Detailed Proposal processes, with responses assessed by an evaluation committee comprising HCCDC, NSW Government representatives and two independent members. HCCDC says the proposals were assessed against design quality, economic benefit, capability and experience, environmental sustainability, social impact, heritage and culture, with support from an expert design review panel, a transaction assessment panel and external technical advisers.
HCCDC says DOMA’s proposal aligned with project objectives around sustainability, high-quality design, placemaking, economic outcomes and community benefit. The corporation also notes that DOMA has invested more than $700 million in Newcastle and that most of its secured sites are now fully developed, with a substantial effect on Honeysuckle and surrounding areas.
DOMA Group managing director Jure Domazet said the company wanted the precinct to become a landmark. “Honeysuckle HQ will be something truly special for Newcastle, and we are proud that our proposal for this harbourfront precinct will create an iconic landmark destination, a legacy the city truly deserves,” he said. “We engaged four leading architectural firms to shape each building with a distinct design vision, creating something unique, interesting and inspired by the enviable setting.”
The announcement closes one chapter in a redevelopment story that began more than three decades ago. HCCDC says it has led the renewal of more than 50 hectares of former industrial land on the edge of Newcastle Harbour since the early 1990s, with staged transformation and divestment attracting more than $1 billion in private investment and generating an estimated $3 billion-plus in economic activity.
The broader Honeysuckle renewal has included new seawalls, upgrades to Honeysuckle Drive, the naturalisation of Cottage Creek, the reopening of the promenade, new public spaces, picnic areas, a children’s playground and heritage conservation. The corporation says $55 million has been invested in foreshore infrastructure and public domain works, including promenades connecting Wickham Marina through Honeysuckle and along the foreshore towards Nobbys Beach and Bathers Way.
The next phase is intended to continue that public-domain-first approach. HCCDC’s Honeysuckle works material says the western Honeysuckle land is strategically located near the transport interchange, with more than one third of the remaining land being transformed into high-quality public space and the balance zoned for mixed-use and commercial development. It also says recent Cottage Creek works have created a more natural-looking waterway with tiered sandstone, native planting, pathways, seating and public art.
The final design has been shaped by years of public consultation. The Honeysuckle Ideas program, run from September to November 2020, asked the community and stakeholders about the future use of the remaining Honeysuckle West land, with feedback grouped around social, economic and environmental outcomes. The report records 794 Social Pinpoint visitors, 294 completed surveys, 132 comments containing 240 ideas, and more than 50 emails, video or phone calls and online presentations, while HCCDC says more than 1000 responses were received overall.
That consultation identified recurring community priorities: a destination with activity at ground level and rooftops, better connections to the waterfront and public transport, green spaces that reduce heat and support biodiversity, recognition of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal heritage, a stronger visitor and jobs economy, and buildings that demonstrate design excellence, environmental sustainability, safety and accessibility.
The 2021 report turned those themes into five objectives for the future divestment of the Throsby and Wickham parcels: create a magnetic mixed-use destination, create a connected place, respect and acknowledge heritage and culture, demonstrate excellence in design and sustainability, and be people-focused and accessible.
HCCDC chief executive Valentina Misevska said the DOMA announcement reflected that community feedback. “Today’s milestone announcement marks a significant moment in the Honeysuckle Urban Renewal Project and reflects what the community told us they wanted to see – a well-connected precinct with quality public spaces, that strengthens connections to the waterfront and transport and creates opportunities for vibrant activation,” she said. “It also delivers on ambitions for high quality design and sustainability, while respecting the area’s heritage and culture, creating a precinct that offers something for everyone.”
Member for Newcastle Tim Crakanthorp said the preservation of the Wickham School of Arts was a key outcome. “I have advocated at every opportunity for many years to have the Wickham School of Arts preserved and integrated into this project. This now means that it will be conserved in perpetuity, a wonderful outcome for our local community,” he said. “I am proud to be preserving our past while stepping into Newcastle’s future with new homes, new jobs, and new energy on our harbourfront.”
HCCDC says the completed public domain will be dedicated to City of Newcastle, continuing the approach set out in the 2019 foreshore plan that the completed public domain be handed to council so it remains in public ownership. As a state significant development project, Honeysuckle HQ will still require public exhibition and community consultation through the approval process.
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