A decade-long stalemate over the rezoning of land at Fletcher should end in order to help ease the city’s housing affordability crisis, the project’s backers have argued.
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Stephen Barr, of Barr Property and Planning, is one of the parties behind a fresh push to have the parcel at 505 Minmi Road rezoned from environmental living to low density residential and environmental conservation.
The Newcastle Herald revealed this week that a Newcastle Council decision to refuse the rezoning would be challenged through a Joint Regional Planning Panel review in November.
The council’s verdict revolved around the environmental value of the site, and its significance as part of the Lower Hunter green corridor project.
At least two councillors have reiterated their opposition to the project in recent days.
But Mr Barr rejected the claim the land was in the green corridor. He said the 26-hectare site had been earmarked for new housing for about 20 years, as part of the city’s western growth belt.
“The land has been identified for a very long time for urban release,” he said. “It’s been identified by both the local and state governments for housing and there’s a whole bunch of strategies that support all that.”
The land’s owner, Peter Durbin, admitted his endeavors to get the land rezoned had been frustrating and lengthy.
“I think we can argue we’ve been very patient,” he said. “It wasn’t as if we bought some random block of land in the middle of nowhere, on a hope and a prayer it would get rezoned. Everything around it has been developed.”
Mr Durbin acknowledged the environmental concerns, but pointed out that a proportion of the site would not be developed.
“It’s also important that our kids have somewhere to live as well,” he said. “We’ve got a housing affordability crisis in NSW and we’ve got a shortage of land … land prices are just going to escalate.”
In a statement, the Department of Planning confirmed that while the Joint Regional Planning Panel was reviewing the matter, its decision would not be binding.
“The council will remain the relevant planning authority unless it relinquishes its responsibility following the rezoning review,” the statement said.
“The Minister for Planning is the ultimate determining authority in relation to Local Environmental Plans.”
Opponents of the project have suggested that the development could be speculative, after Mr Durbin attempted to sell the land in 2010 so he could “move on to another project”.
Mr Durbin said his intention was never to buy the land in order to resell it, but after 15 years “you do lose a bit of patience.”
“All options are open,” he said. “I have an interest in McDonald Jones homes and I would love to see it build on the site. There is a possibility we might do something along those lines.”
