If you've visited Morisset recently, you'll no doubt have noticed the area is undergoing a major transformation.
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Recently-released development data identified Morisset and neighbouring Cooranbong as housing hotspots, accounting for one-fifth of the total $1.3 billion of development activity approved in Lake Macquarie in 2022-2023.
New residential developments are encouraging more people to discover Lake Mac, and other major projects are under way to support this growing community - the Cedar Mill development on the former Morisset golf course site perhaps the most prominent example.
Council and the NSW Government recognise Morisset's significant potential to attract new residents, jobs and investment to our city and the wider Hunter Region.
The Hunter Regional Plan 2041, published by the NSW Department of Planning and Environment in December last year, identifies Morisset as the largest future growth area across the Hunter and Central Coast regions, and earmarks it as "a major point of connection" between the two.
Together with the NSW Government, we've started preparing a Morisset Place Strategy to guide the future growth and development of the area and, importantly, identify the future infrastructure upgrades required to support growth. The Place Strategy plays an important role in helping to unlock funding required for future upgrades.
As part of this work, we are inviting community feedback on a discussion paper, which presents potential growth scenarios and planning priorities to guide the change and growth of Morisset over the next few decades.
These growth scenarios, which range from 'Morisset as usual' to 'Morisset City', have the potential to bring between 14,000 and 25,000 new residents to Morisset by 2041, requiring between 6200 and 12,500 new dwellings and delivering thousands of new jobs.
As growth occurs, Morisset will continue to attract investment in infrastructure, and improving the transport network is a key priority identified in the discussion paper.
The connection along Mandalong Road from the M1 to the town centre is a big challenge facing the Morisset community and is an issue that has come through strongly in conversations we've had with our community.
Council has long recognised the upgrade of Mandalong Road as vital to unlocking the many opportunities Morisset can deliver, which is why we advocated so strongly to secure the $76 million in Federal and State funding now committed to the project.
Transport for NSW is responsible for delivering the upgrade, which will see Mandalong Road widened between Gateway Boulevarde and Wyee Road to provide two travel lanes in each direction, along with new traffic lights installed at the intersections of Wyee Road and Freemans Drive, and Gateway Boulevarde and Mandalong Road.
We're continuing to work closely with Transport for NSW and are eager to see works commence.
Alongside the important issue of transport, the discussion paper explores the need to provide education and health facilities, deliver affordable housing, especially for young families and empty nesters, provide economic resilience through the transition of the Eraring power station site, and to protect the unique environmental value and cultural heritage of Morisset.
I encourage the community to visit shape.lakemac.com.au/morisset-place-strategy to view the discussion paper and have their say before August 31.
Wes Hain is the manager, integrated planning at Lake Macquariey City Council
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