Issue 159 6 March 2019
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Multi million dollar proposal to transform Tuggerah
A
newly announced $2.8b Tuggerah town centre proposal will transform Westfield and the surrounding area into a major hub of employment, transport, housing, leisure, health and education.
“This is a game changing plan and is further evidence of the enormous surge of investor confidence on the Central Coast,” said NSW Planning Minister, Anthony Roberts, at the launch of the proposal on February 27. The proposal from Scentre Group (Westfield) and its partners, comprises $2.1b for the redevelopment and expansion of its Tuggerah site and surrounds in conjunction with the State Government’s required $700m of infrastructure works, likely to be funded by Section 94 contributions, to transform the broader town centre. The plan, to be delivered over 35 years, covers 70.85ha of land owned by Scentre Group, including Westfield, vacant land behind the shopping centre and on the other side of Tonkiss St, as well as nearby land owned by Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council. It could create more than 10,000 construction
Darkinjung Local Aboriginal Land Council Chairperson, Matthew West, (from left), NSW Planning and Housing Minister, Anthony Roberts, Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation Chief Operating Officer, Valentina Misevska, NSW Aboriginal Land Council Chairperson, Roy Ah-See, and Scentre Group Director of Development and Strategic Asset Management, Stewart White jobs over the life of the project, 2700 ongoing jobs into the future, new dwellings to suit a variety of housing, a new transport interchange, 18ha of parkland, new health and education services and expanded retail and leisure offerings. Over the next six months, the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC), Darkinjung and Scentre Group, will work together to examine how best to deliver the significant project, before reporting back to the NSW government.
The three parties signed a Heads of Agreement at the proposal launch. Minister Roberts said there would be a complete overhaul of the Tuggerah train station to become a major new transport interchange, connecting train and bus services to intercity links, as well as additional local services. “The interchange will also connect and co-ordinate services to an 8.5km network of pedestrian paths, cycleways and land bridges, which will wind their way through 18ha of beautifully repurposed
parklands, adventure play lands, a lake and conservation spaces, that will envelop the entire redeveloped town centre,” he said. On completion, Tuggerah Town Centre would deliver 4,956 new dwellings in a mix of low, medium and high density, as well as seniors/aged care living and hotel accommodation, and serviced apartments. D a r k i n j u n g Chairperson, Matthew West, said being a party to this development would help secure unrivalled social and economic opportunity for the Darkinjung
community into the future. “We’re particularly excited to pursue training and education opportunities, and it also enables us to ensure that any future development is sensitive to the significance of Aboriginal cultural heritage,” he said. Regional Development Australia, Central, Coast (RDACC), CEO, John Mouland, said it made sense to activate this area as a catalyst for growth and development throughout the region. “Identified in the Central Coast Regional Plan as the beginning
of the Northern Growth Corridor, the Tuggerah Regional Centre sits as a midpoint of the Central Coast, with direct access to the upgraded M1, main regional arterial roads, major rail and bus interchanges, successful business parks and a prominent retail centre,” he said. “Those are the reasons that over the past five years, numerous public and private organisations have proposed major development initiatives focussed around this area.” Central Coast Councillor, Greg Best, wants Council to have a preliminary briefing on the Tuggerah proposal and will put a Notice of Motion before the next Ordinary Meeting on March 11. Best’s Motion will also call on Council to enter discussions to form a Development Corporation that would encompass linking this Tuggerah initiative with the Warnervale Employment Zone.
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Source: Media launch, Feb 27 Westfield Tuggerah Media release, Planning Minister, Anthony Roberts Media release, Regional Development Australia, Central Coast Sue Murray, Journalist See page 8 for an artist’s impression of the entire project