THE NSW Government has stepped in to take control of a plan for a major high-rise development in the heart of Port Macquarie, declaring it State Significant without prior consultation with the local council.
Minister for Planning and Public Spaces, Paul Scully, last month declared the proposal for an 18-storey mixed-use building on the corner of Park and Warlters streets, opposite Westport Park, as a State Significant Development (SSD).
The proposal comprises 210 dwellings, including 35 affordable homes, in a high-rise building incorporating residential, hotel, entertainment and commercial uses.
A concurrent rezoning is also part of the proposal.
The company behind the plan is Planet Warriewood, which has previously attempted to develop on the same waterfront site.
In 2019, it lodged a development application with Port Macquarie Hastings Council for a four-storey entertainment and commercial complex estimated to cost about $35 million.
The proposal included a nine-screen United Cinemas complex, gym, indoor bowling, food outlets, retail tenancies and basement parking.
That application complied with floor space ratio and height controls at the time but attracted council concerns over inadequate off-street parking and traffic impacts.
Despite amendments proposed by the developer, including increased parking, the Northern Regional Planning Panel ultimately rejected the project in late 2023.
Port Macquarie Hastings Mayor Adam Roberts said Council was “not provided any opportunity for meaningful input or consideration” on the latest plan by Planet Warriewood.
In revealing the plan to the public last week, he said it was his obligation to inform the community about it given the scale and significance of what has been proposed.
Under the SSD process, any future development application and associated rezoning request would be lodged directly with the Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure, which will undertake the assessment.
The final determination rests with the Planning Minister.
Further details on the plan will only become available if and when a development application is lodged by the proponent.
The land at 23 Park Street is currently zoned E2 Commercial Centre under the Port Macquarie Hastings Local Environmental Plan 2011, with a maximum building height standard of 19 metres.
The State Government’s intervention comes as Council is already undertaking its own community engagement through the City Heart Masterplan, which is examining options to cater for increased density across the broader Port Macquarie CBD.
Mayor Roberts renewed calls for more State funding support for essential infrastructure required to accommodate population growth.
“I’d suggest the NSW Government should reflect on its current lack of funding support to date, for the critical network infrastructure upgrades Port Macquarie needs,” he said.
Council has been advocating for funding to deliver the Cowarra Water Treatment Plant, the Thrumster Wastewater Treatment Plant and fast-tracked traffic mitigation measures along the Wrights Road to Lake Road corridor, a congestion pinch point on a State-controlled road.
Mayor Roberts said he had written to Minister Scully requesting a meeting to discuss the Park Street proposal, the City Heart Masterplan and the infrastructure funding shortfall.
In a written statement, Minister Scully stressed the SSD declaration was not an approval.
“The Housing Delivery Authority is an optional pathway with strict criteria,” he said.
“A declaration is not an approval.
“If a development proposal is submitted it will go through a full merit assessment process which will consider traffic and infrastructure needs, among other things, and include a period of public exhibition for community feedback.”
The project was declared an SSD through the Housing Delivery Authority on December 19.
To date, no Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) have been issued and no development application has been lodged.
Planet Warriewood did not respond to a request for comment.
By Matt TAYLOR
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