Gillieston Heights South Planning Proposal

The purpose of the Planning Proposal is to amend the Maitland Local Environmental Plan 2011 to identify the land as an urban release area and rezone approximately 57 hectares of RU2 Rural Landscape zoned lands to R1 General Residential zoned lands.

The land included in the Planning Proposal forms part of the Kurri Kurri Hydro industrial complex. The industrial facility has ceased operation, and the landowner is investigating potential development opportunities. The southern portion of the industrial complex, approximately 1300 hectares, is in the Cessnock local government area and subject to a separate Planning Proposal.

Both the Maitland and Cessnock Planning Proposals are the result of the Hydro Kurri Kurri Rezoning Masterplan. Consequently, the Planning Proposals were on public exhibition concurrently to ensure consistency and consideration of cross boundary impacts by the broader community.

The Planning Proposal will facilitate the development of potentially 380 to 420 residential lots, subject to a development application and assessment. The proposed rezoning is supported by site specific studies which identify a need to balance the proposed residential land use with the site constraints, which will be achieved through a mix of rural and residential zones.

The public exhibition of the Planning Proposal has been coordinated with the exhibition of the NSW State Government’s draft Hunter Expressway Strategy. The Hunter Expressway Strategy will provide aligned land use plans along the Expressway and its six interchanges.

Any future development of the land will require a development application and assessment against the provisions of the Maitland LEP 2011 and site-specific development controls.