WILLIAMTOWN is home to two of the Hunter region’s key assets – Newcastle Airport and the RAAF Base – yet the Port Stephens suburb’s development potential has remained largely untapped.
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This is the view of developer Edward Crawford, from Crawford Robinson, who has for eight years battled with Port Stephens Council to develop the 33 hectares of land and Williamtown Public School that he co-owns.
“We're probably the biggest land-owner in that area,” Mr Crawford said.
“We own 33 hectares of land plus Williamtown Public School but can’t do anything with it, not until council finalises its strategic land use plan.”
Crawford Robinson lodged a development application (DA) worth $6.2 million with Port Stephens Council in May 2013 to subdivide land on the corner of Cabbage Tree and Nelson Bay roads to make way for three fast food restaurants and a native plant garden.
The land, a former dairy farm, is opposite the mothballed public school and is the same site that the company had earmarked for a $80 million bulky goods development.
While the idea for a bulky goods development at Williamtown has not been completely scrapped, Mr Crawford said the market would dictate what was built on the site.
Crawford Robinson is also unable to do anything with Williamtown Public School, which it bought from the Department of Education in 2014, until Port Stephens Council re-zones the land.
“Millions of passengers get off planes at Newcastle Airport and one of the first things they see is Williamtown Public School with its tumbleweeds and graffiti,” Mr Crawford said.
“The current LEP in place doesn't let us do anything with it. We wanted to renovate and turn it into temporary office space but legally, we cannot do it.”
David Rowland, Port Stephens Council’s strategy and environment section manager, said Williamtown is an important economic centre and a major focus in the local government organisation’s strategic planning.
“There is an adequate supply of appropriately zoned land in the B7 (Business Park) zone and through existing consents to ensure continued growth and development of Williamtown in the short to medium term,” Mr Rowland said.
“However, with a view for the longer term, council is also exploring the development potential of additional lands, which are subject to detailed drainage and environmental investigations.
“Council is committed to continue its approach to work with landowners, the NSW Department of Planning and Environment and the NSW Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the resolution of these matters to ensure any future development does not exacerbate flooding of adjoining lands.”
Four months after Crawford Robinson submitted its $6.2 million application, another DA worth $11.5 million was lodged by the Knightsbridge Group to build a tavern, bottleshop, three food outlets and a 50-room hotel built in Lavis Lane, opposite Williamtown McDonald’s.
This DA was approved by Port Stephens Council in June 2013, yet no work has been started on making the development become a reality.
Development, however, is not completely stagnant at Williamtown.
The 95-room Mercure Hotel at Newcastle Airport was opened in August 2015, six months after Newcastle Airport’s $80 million terminal expansion project was unveiled.
The expansion, paving the way for international flights, coincided with a 1.4 per cent growth in the numbers of passengers going through the airport at the first half of the 2015/2016 financial year.
Work on the $1 billion upgrade to Williamtown RAAF Base is also underway, which is expected to be completed by 2022.
