newy.com.au – Newcastle Quay has entered the formal state planning process, developer DOMA Group have lodged two requests for environmental assessment requirements for the proposed $1.6 billion waterfront precinct.
The requests, submitted about a month after the project was unveiled, cover the overall precinct masterplan and the first detailed stage of development. Stage 1 proposes more than 200 homes alongside casual dining, retail and commercial space near Newcastle Harbour and Cottage Creek.
The lodgements are an early planning milestone rather than development approvals. The NSW Planning Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements, known as SEARs, will specify the studies and information DOMA must include in environmental impact statements for the project.
Once those requirements are issued, the developer will prepare and lodge State Significant Development applications for the masterplan and Stage 1. The applications will then be publicly exhibited before being assessed and determined, while separate applications will be required for later stages.
Newcastle Quay is planned for the remaining major development land at the western end of Honeysuckle, near Honeysuckle Drive, Hannell Street and Newcastle Interchange. The project is intended to complete the transformation of former industrial and railway land along the waterfront.
Under the current proposal, the precinct would be developed over about 15 years and include around 1000 homes, more than 11,000 square metres of public open space and commercial and retail areas intended to accommodate about 4000 workers.
Plans also include a 180-room hotel and conference centre integrated with the heritage-listed former Wickham School of Arts. The historic building is proposed to be retained and adapted as part of the hotel and conference precinct.
The detailed planning documents are expected to clarify proposed building envelopes and heights, apartment configurations, traffic and parking arrangements, public access to the waterfront and the design of pedestrian and cycling connections between Wickham, Newcastle Interchange and the harbour.
Flooding and climate resilience are also likely to be significant assessment issues because of the site’s proximity to Cottage Creek and Newcastle Harbour. Investigations are expected to address stormwater, groundwater, contamination and the protection of basements and public areas during extreme weather.
Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation said it was working closely with DOMA while progressing plans for essential mine grouting. The work is intended to address abandoned coal workings beneath parts of the site before major construction begins.
The corporation expects the masterplan and Stage 1 applications to be lodged by the end of 2026, although the timetable remains subject to the planning process, remediation work and construction sequencing.
Project estimates attribute about $80 million in annual economic activity to construction and approximately $133 million a year to the completed precinct. Those figures have been presented by the corporation as projected benefits for Newcastle and the wider Hunter Region.
Join the discussion on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/17bvbMHJQ2/
