FAQ

Change can occur rapidly and in unexpected ways. Also, what we want now may not be what we want as a community, in the future.

How do we make sure Lake Macquarie City’s environment, economy, lifestyle, infrastructure, and services continue to improve amidst unexpected change?

Lake Mac 2050 is Council’s answer to that important question. This draft strategy will guide development in the City in a way that helps to achieve the outcomes the community has said it wishes to see.

This strategy also forms part of a policy framework, aligning with the Hunter Regional Plan 2036 and the draft Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Plan 2036.

Once it’s adopted by Council, the strategy will guide the decision-making process for what types of developments are best suited to certain areas of the City.

The community has had a major influence in the development of the draft Lake Mac 2050 Strategy.

Over the past two years, Council has been collaborating and consulting with the community about how they want the future of the city to look, feel and function.

• In 2016, residents partnered with Council to develop a vision for the City, including a set of shared community values
  

• In September 2017, we checked-in with residents to find out if we were “on the right track”, with interpreting the community’s values, priorities and ideas for the future. We involved the community in refining the direction we planned to take and used this information to develop the first draft of the Lake Mac 2050 Strategy.

• In parallel to working with the community, Council conducted a number of studies that have helped to inform the draft Lake Mac 2050.  These studies can be found under the Supporting Documents section. <link>

• Lake Mac 2050 is also based on an approach that combines an appreciation of global influences with an understanding of how local people experience the places where they live, work and play. The strategy closely aligns to the Hunter Regional Plan 2036 and the draft Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Plan 2036.

• Now, we are asking you to provide feedback on how we have brought your previous input and information together into the draft Lake Mac 2050 Strategy.

The City’s population is expected to grow by more than 23 per cent by 2050, to 250,000 and the number of dwellings will increase at a more rapid rate, up 36 per cent from 82,595 in the 2016 Census to an estimated 112,397 in 2050.

The strategy reinforces the role of Lake Macquarie’s three strategic centres in Charlestown, Glendale and Morisset, with town centres at Belmont, Cardiff, Mount Hutton, Swansea, Toronto and Warners Bay.

Plans include:

• potentially doubling the number of people working and living in Cardiff and Glendale by 2050;

• orienting town centres in Belmont and Toronto to take advantage of their lakeside location;

• establishing public transport interchanges at Charlestown, Glendale and Morisset;

• transforming Morisset into a major centre linking south Lake Macquarie with the Central Coast.

More housing, jobs and services in the town centres will drive economic growth, provide easier access to services and give rise to exciting community spaces. The Strategy also seeks to provide more options for residents to move around through improving public transport services, as well as pedestrian and cycling infrastructure.

Lake Mac 2050 doesn’t identify planned developments in detail. Instead, it has been written to guide us in making decisions about what types of development are suited to specific areas within the city.

The maps included in the draft Strategy provide guidance on where in the city development will be focused, where further investigation is required, and what types of developments may be suited to these areas, so that together, it achieves the outcomes the community has said it wants to see. 

Development and growth will be focused in the strategic centres of Charlestown, Morisset and Glendale and the town centres of Cardiff, Warners Bay, Mount Hutton, Belmont, Swansea and Toronto. However, local centres such as Valentine and Wangi Wangi, and Caves Beach will also play their part in providing a focus for the local community.

The maps included in the draft Lake Mac 2050 Strategy cover broader planning areas, rather than individual suburbs. This way, the maps show the strong connections between places and the focus areas for certain types of developments.

The draft strategy is to be used as a guide to determine what kind of development is best suited in certain areas of the city, in order to achieve the outcomes the community has said it wants to see.

Go to the Survey tab on the main draft Lake Mac 2050 Strategy page of this website and complete the form.