Push for new homes ramps up again with two more state significant developments in Newcastle

by · Newcastle Herald
The site at 136 Hunter Street is one of two Newcastle development proposals declared as state significant projects on Friday, July 31. Picture from file

An East End block, a tower in Newcastle West, and a development on the site of the former Woy Woy Leagues Club on the Central Coast were among another 17 projects to be declared state significant developments last month.

NSW Planning Minister Paul Scully said if all 17 projects went ahead, the state's housing pipeline would grow by about 4000 homes, adding to the more. than 490 proposals total that the Housing Delivery Authority has declared state significant.

An 11-storey tower designed by Newcastle architecture outfit SDA was revealed in 2022 for the lot at 810 Hunter Street.

The development proposal includes an 8-storey exterior green wall on the western side of the building.

A block with three street frontages on Hunter, Scott and Newcomen streets in the East End covers more than 2000 square metres was also among the latest tranche of projects approved for state significant status on Friday, representing one of the largest development sites remaining in the area.

A feasibility assessment for the site showed it had potential for a new residential project within the Newcastle CBD.

A 2022 render of the proposed tower at 810 Hunter Street. Picture from file

The assessment tested a mixed-use redevelopment scenario comprising of 119 apartments with ground floor retail space and structured parking.

Zoning allows for development up to 20 metres.

The site operates as a multi-tenanted commercial office, and generates $1,491,634 in annual gross income from six tenants that include Chemist Warehouse and Whitehaven.

Commercial Collective's national director of capital markets Matt Kearney said there were very few development sites on this scale remaining within Newcastle's CBD.

On the Central Coast, the former Woy Woy Leagues Club site has been earmarked for up to six storeys of shop-top apartments, with potential to deliver more than 80 homes in the Peninsula district.

The most recent batch of state significant development declarations followed a previous 17 projects in June that included three Hunter housing projects.

The Newcastle Herald reported had potential to add about 1000 new homes, with provision for affordable housing, if they go ahead.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Scully said of the total 493 proposals declared state significant, 14 had been approved, unlocking about 2500 homes.

State Significant Development applications have been lodged for a further 81 projects representing around 26,600 potential homes.

State significant development declarations have been revoked from seven proposals which failed to meet timelines or where the applicant decided not to proceed.