Health service access and road quality and traffic were rated worse by Hunter residents than anywhere else in the state while housing remains the region's biggest concern, according to a new survey.
The NSW Six Cities Vision Community Sentiment Survey commissioned by the Property Council of Australia asked 1343 residents across the state to rate their local area in different aspects, including access to housing, job opportunities and public spaces.
Responses were divided across the Greater Cities Commission's Six Cities - Central Coast, Central River, Eastern Harbour, Illawarra/Shoalhaven, Lower Hunter & Greater Newcastle, Western Parkland - and the rest of NSW.
Lower Hunter & Greater Newcastle, which included 180 residents from Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock, Maitland and Port Stephens rated quality of the road network and traffic flow at 41 per cent. This compared to a NSW total of 48 per cent.
Access to quality health services and being a safe place for people and their property both came in at 58 per cent for the Hunter - significantly lower than the state averages of 71 and 68 per cent respectively.
While the region fared better on a state level in questions related to housing, the ratings were worse than any other category.
Availability of affordable housing for essential workers came in at 36 per cent, having suitable housing options for low-income earners was 37 per cent, while having a diverse mix of housing options for people at different life stages scored 51 per cent.
Property Council's Hunter regional director Anita Hugo said the results reinforced that housing affordability was a significant issue with strains on housing stock, and rental vacancy rates sitting at about 1 per cent.
"While the Hunter looks set to meet its housing targets to 2041, we need to be careful we don't become complacent in light of the population growing greater than predicted," she said.
"Crucially, the current targets do not count the already unmet need - meaning that the already undelivered housing numbers are having a multiplier effect.
"The GCC [Greater Cities Commission] must ensure that strategic planning supports a forward pipeline of housing supply in Greater Newcastle and Lower Hunter regions if it wants to truly deliver local liveability across communities."
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