Eden Estates rejects Link Road Forest land sale despite petition

The developer of a proposed massive housing estate on more than 500 hectares of bushland has confirmed the site is not for sale, as more than 10,450 petitioners urge the state government to buy and protect it.

The signatories of the petition to the Legislative Council are urging it to call on the state government to buy the land and include it in the National Reserve system.

In a letter response, NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) generally acquired land from willing sellers.

"The property is not currently on offer to NPWS or for sale," Ms Sharpe said.

"Should the land become available for potential acquisition, NPWS will undertake a thorough assessment to evaluate its conservation values, management costs and suitability to the national park estate."

Last year, the state government said it would fast-track the rezoning of 574 hectares of bushland earmarked for 4200 homes as part of the Eden Estates project.

It's one of the largest Hunter land rezonings in decades, straddling Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and bordered by Wallsend, Cameron Park, Elemore Vale and Glendale.

The site, in Newcastle's western suburbs, had long been earmarked for residential development before the NSW government took over the planning determination last year, as it races to meet its ambitious housing supply targets.

An Eden Estates spokesman said it had not been approached by NPWS with an offer of interest in the sale of the land.

"Eden Estates is not currently considering the sale of the Link Road site, our aspiration is for a balanced outcome of housing, public recreation and environmental conservation," the spokesman said.

"The NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure is leading a state-led rezoning process, this process will investigate the site comprehensively to inform the future use of the site.

"Eden Estates seeks to achieve enduring conservation outcomes on a significant proportion of the site via a Biodiversity Stewardship Agreement, formalising public access and providing for public ownership at no to cost to government."

In her response to the petition, Ms Sharpe confirmed the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water is aware that the land has "high biodiversity values".

Ms Sharpe said records indicated the presence of koalas, squirrel gliders, powerful owls, glossy black cockatoos and other threatened species.

The petition was brought by the Save Link Road Forest campaign, which wants the land designated as a national park.

Group member Ian McKenzie said the group welcomed the minister's acknowledgment of the forest's high biodiversity values.

"We believe protecting the entire forest is essential to adequately safeguard the threatened species and threatened ecological communitiies," Mr McKenzie said.

"Link Road Forest campaign encourages the landowners and the NSW government to begin dialogue about the national park proposal, including exploring a potential funding source through biodiversity offsets associated with the recently approved Hunter Transmission Project."

Mr McKenzie said the campaign hoped soon to reach the 10,000-signature benchmark for its separate paper petition to the Legislative Assembly.