NSW Premier Chris Minns won't intervene to overturn historic planning determinations for Hunter housing projects despite present day community concerns.
Residents of Newcastle's western fringe along with City of Newcastle appealed to Planning Minister Paul Scully to overturn approval of a 858-lot residential subdivision within Winten Property's Minimi Estate Project.
The subdivision, approved by the Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel in March, was based on a 2013 concept plan that was approved using the abandoned Part 3A planning legislation.
Speaking in Newcastle this week Mr Minns said he wanted to see a balance between new housing and conservation, however, he would not overturn existing approvals.
"I have to take into consideration that if an approval has gone through in 2012 or 2013 I don't think the system benefits from me intervening at the very end," he said.
"We need some certainty, but I can promise you, we're not going to chuck the rule book out. We need to ensure that we can get housing alongside open spaces and native vegetation.
"Cities around the world do this really well. For some reason, NSW has been really poor at it. And part of the answer there is to get good looking, good quality, density along public transport routes."
The Newcastle section of Minmi Estate will join the previously approved 1070-lot section that falls within the Lake Macquarie local government area.
City of Newcastle planners reluctantly gave their support to the project on the basis that the proposal was consistent with the concept plan approved by the state government in 2013.
Winten lodged an application with Lake Macquarie Council earlier this month that seeks to add 70 residential lots to its Link Road South subdivision, which will take the total number of homes in the area to 664.
The Link Road South lands form part of the concept approval issued by the state government in 2013 that straddles the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle LGA boundaries.
The Land and Environment Court approved the original Link Road South development in 2017. It included 594 residential lots, roads and infrastructure, and site clearing and earthworks.
The current modification application proposes internal site layout changes and reconfiguration of roads, with an additional 70 lots proposed within the existing site boundaries.
The modification application is on exhibition until 6 November.
"We are in the early stages of assessment and are in the process of resolving the consent authority," a council spokesman said.
"Council undertook assessment of the original application in accordance with the relevant planning legislation, and the conditions established under the Concept Approval, which includes consideration to infrastructure, habitat loss and social impact. The modification application will be assessed in the same manner."
