What does the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy mean for development assessment in the Lower Hunter?
After months of deliberation and consultation, the Minister for Planning, the Hon. Frank Sartor, released the much anticipated Lower Hunter Regional Strategy (“LHRS”) on 18 October 2006. At the same time the Minister for the Environment released a Draft Regional Conservation Plan for the Lower Hunter. Over the next 25 years the LHRS: • Provides for 115,000 new homes to cater for a projected population growth of 160,000 people; • Plans for up to 66,000 new jobs and ensures an adequate supply of employment land; • Promotes growth in centres – a greater choice of housing and jobs in Newcastle CBD and specified major centres; • Creates important green corridors of land with high environmental value, which will be managed for conservation purposes. These corridors align with existing public reserves, some of which will be expanded; and • Protects high quality agricultural land, and natural resources such as water and extractive materials. The LHRS itself is a broad planning framework design
