More than 500 dwellings have been proposed across three developments, which include an 80-metre tower in the city, seven residential flats on a former Ausgrid site and what would be the tallest building in a quiet Lake Macquarie suburb.
The three developments were among almost 100 proposals in NSW to be declared state significant by the Housing Delivery Authority, giving more than 22,000 homes access to a streamlined planning pathway.
Seven residential flats, along with multi-dwelling housing, have been proposed for the former Ausgrid administration building at 145 Newcastle Road, Wallsend.
The development would have up to 350 dwellings and a maximum height of three to four storeys (16 metres).
The developer has proposed to maintain 5 per cent of the dwellings for affordable housing in perpetuity, or about 17 to 18 units.
The 5.27-hectare site, which straddles Douglas Street and backs onto Brickworks Park, contains three large buildings, which are currently home to more than 450 Lake Macquarie City Council staff, following a deliberately lit fire at the council's administrative centre.
In the Lake Macquarie suburb of Booragul, a nine-storey residential flat has been proposed for 17 Fourth Street, which if approved would become the suburb's tallest building.
The building would contain 49 residential apartments, with 15 per cent (seven units) reserved for affordable housing for 15 years and 2 per cent (one unit) to be managed as affordable housing by a registered community housing provider in perpetuity.
The corner block is about 1160 square metres and sits less than 400 metres from the suburb's train station, meaning it falls under the state government's Transport Oriented Development (TOD) rules, which allow for medium-density residential developments to be up to 22 metres tall.
An 80-metre tower with shop-top housing of up to 118 dwellings has been put forward for the former Empire furniture warehouse at 1/21 Railway Street, Wickham.
The HDA recommended the applicant, Gemini Interchange, investigate incorporating the adjacent isolated site at 33-35 Bishopgate Street into the development.
It also warned the final proposal may have a lower dwelling yield, given it sought a significant 66-metre height variation from the building controls for the site, which limits developments to 14 metres.
"Whilst the site is a good location for proposed housing development, the project will require refinement," the HDA stated.
The application leaves the door open for a portion of the dwellings to be reserved for affordable housing.
"The Department will work with the proponent to determine an approach to affordable housing that reflects the expectation that there is value returned to the community from the significant uplift achieved above existing planning controls," the HDA stated.
In 2023, Gemini Interchange - owned by Maitland-born brothers Dallas and Kristoffer Harvey - previously put forward a 35-metre 11-storey apartment tower on the same site.
The 59-unit development was pitched to Newcastle City Council as a build-to-rent project, to be done in partnership with Hunter and Central Coast community housing provider Pacific Link to offer long-term rentals and affordable housing in the apartment building.
The $30-million project had been in the pipeline for more than two years, before it was approved by councillors in September, 2025.
