Wyee Paper Subdivision

04 Aug 2022

Minutes are available for the June 2022 Reference Group meeting.

Contamination assessments

Three detailed contamination assessments have been undertaken for different parts of the paper subdivision.

1. Land in road reserves throughout the paper subdivision
   The detailed investigation identified some asbestos fragments in some road reserve areas. The investigation also identified the presence of household septic overflows in some road reserve locations.
2. Conservation-zoned land in the south west of the paper subdivision
   Asbestos fragments were found in the road reserve and on one privately-owned lot. The owner of the lot has been separately notified and any required actions discussed.
3. Former orchard area between Waropara and Pirama Roads
   A preliminary contamination investigation undertaken several years ago identified a former orchard between Waropara and Pirama Roads that required further detailed investigation. This detailed investigation has now been completed. The positive news is that the detailed assessment concluded that there are no significant contamination issues that would impact future development for the vast majority of the lots. However, there are two lots where asbestos was identified in surface soil. The owners of these two lots have been separately notified and any required actions discussed. For all other owners, the contamination assessment did not identify any significant contamination issues. As part of any future development, contamination assessments are likely to be required to confirm the land is suitable for the proposed development.

Asbestos removal

As a result of the contamination assessments, asbestos removal has occurred on all Council-owned road reserve land. Contractors, NAC Services, have identified, safely removed and disposed of the asbestos debris.

Contractors, SLR Consulting, supervised the removal works and issued a clearance certificate to confirm completion. The removal of asbestos has occurred to ensure public safety, in line with Council’s policies on managing asbestos and illegal dumping on public land.

Similarly, the NSW Department of Crown Lands has recently completed the removal of waste, including asbestos, from the Dillabirra Road reserve (Bushells Ridge Road end). Council is taking further steps to discourage illegal dumping in this area.

We encourage residents to report any further illegal dumping to the Regional Illegal Dumping (RID) Squad on 131 555.

Next steps

As you may be aware, Council’s project officer Kirsty Hammer has completed her time with Council. Kirsty did a great job and was able to progress many of the issues within the paper subdivision.

The designs for essential services have been completed and costed. The complexity of delivering these essential services is significant and will require State or Federal Government support to deliver it. Council staff are now shifting focus over the next 12 months to lobby the State and Federal Governments for funding, and to identify a delivery agency to be responsible for the construction of essential services. While Council staff focus on lobbying government, Reference Group meetings will be held less frequently.

Council staff have also prepared a Risk Management Plan to mitigate the risks to residents, the environment and Council based on the current situation. The Risk Management Plan includes actions such as removing waste and reducing the bush fire hazard.

Council staff are currently seeking a NSW Government grant to help fund this Risk Management Plan. Further information will be provided to landowners and residents when the outcome of our grant application is known.

For any questions relating to the paper subdivision moving forward, please contact Council's Integrated Planning Team on 4921 0333 or email [email protected].

02 Jun 2022

Progress is being made on the design and costing of the essential services.

For a full overview of the Reference Group meeting discussions, please refer to the April and May minutes, and the relevant meeting attachment listed below.

Key highlights include:

• The contamination study is complete, draft reports have been received from consultant and are under review by Council’s contamination expert.
• Detailed discussion of the costs and variation between the “high cost” (standard subdivision) and “low cost” (minimum standard) options for the development of essential services.
• Council are considering a range of funding and cost options to resolve the paper subdivision which are outlined in the following attachment:
  • Funding options summary June 2022
  • These options represent staff views on the range of available funding options. They do not reflect the position of Council. Council support is necessary to pursue any of the funding options.

We will provide more information in coming months. Past Reference Group meeting minutes can be found under the 'Documents' section of this page.

05 Apr 2022

Design and costing of the essential services is making progress. The following items were discussed at the meeting:

• The land survey and marking out of easements is complete
• We are now working with consultants on a contamination assessment to confirm any remediation costs for land on the unformed roads and in the former orchard. Land owners affected by this assessment have been separately notified
• We have received a draft flora and fauna assessment and bushfire threat assessment and are confirming the planning approval pathway for the delivery of essential services
• We are preparing a revised cost estimate for the essential services and will release this as soon as it is available
• We’re still approaching State and Federal Government for funding and grants.

For a full overview please refer to the March meeting minutes.

14 Feb 2022

We’ve been busy over the Christmas and New Year period, confirming cost items and looking for funding. The Reference Group minutes are available to view below - please note that a meeting was not held in January 2022.

• November 2021 Reference Group Minutes
• December 2021 Reference Group Minutes
• February 2022 Reference Group Minutes

In summary, here are some of the things we’ve been doing:

1. Confirming the costs of the essential services

A few months ago, we provided an initial estimate of $32 million for the costs of developing the essential services for the paper subdivision (roads, stormwater drainage, sewer, water and electricity). We’re working towards a final estimate of those costs by:

• Marking out the easements throughout the subdivision to see what structures need to be moved, for future sewer and stormwater drainage. Our surveyors are about halfway through this job and should finish by March 2022. You’ll see their pegs and stakes throughout the area.
• We’ve engaged contamination consultants to undertake a detailed site investigation, to estimate the costs and extent of any remediation required. This will start after the easement survey is complete.
• A staging plan has been completed to estimate the costs of staging the works around existing residents. We are reviewing the draft plan and costs with our consultants.
• We are confirming the costs and detail required to obtain planning approval for the work.
• We are obtaining detailed design and quotes to construct the stormwater detention tanks, which are a part of the stormwater detention system.

2. Preparation for future development

We’ve asked Crown Lands to transfer the land reserved for Dillabirra Road from Crown to Council ownership, so that a road can be built when funding is confirmed.

We have received a draft bush fire threat assessment for the subdivision. It helps us work out which future buildings would need to be built to bush fire construction standards.

3. Looking for assistance with funding

We are exploring a Federal Government loan and grant program called the National Housing Infrastructure Fund.

We’re also still looking for other funding support through State and Federal Government. Our initial meetings have not yet provided any other avenues for funding.

4. Managing existing risk

We’re actively reviewing the risks residents face from living in the subdivision and looking to reduce these. We have met with our bush fire consultant and the NSW Rural Fire Service to review our current bush fire risks. Our Compliance staff will also be considering any outstanding building and development, sewage management and waste matters.

If you have questions, please contact Council's Integrated Planning Team on 4921 0333 or email [email protected].

03 Nov 2021

Council’s surveyors will be in Wyee paper subdivision from 22 November 2021 to mark out the location of future essential services. Some of these locations will be within private properties.

Download this plan to see the proposed location for water, sewer and stormwater pipes. We are contacting all affected landowners to arrange access to properties.

If you have any questions about this work occurring onsite, please contact Council's Integrated Planning Team on 4921 0333 or email [email protected].

28 Oct 2021

Council held the October Reference Group meeting online due to COVID-19 restrictions.

For a full overview of what was discussed at the meeting, please refer to the October meeting minutes.

The agenda for the October meeting focused on the following items:

• Council’s Government Relations and Policy Advisor provided an update on the Wyee paper subdivision advocacy plan. We are proceeding to raise awareness about the project through levels of government.
• We are proceeding with land surveys of the proposed easements in November 2021. After that we will undertake a contamination study to confirm potentially contaminated land. Landowners will be notified in the coming weeks of Council and consultant work in the subdivision, especially where we require access to private properties.
• A discussion took place about small and affordable housing options at the paper subdivision.
• The group discussed a study that CSIRO prepared in 2019 for the paper subdivision, to provide electricity via a shared solar energy system.

07 Oct 2021

The latest Wyee Paper Subdivision Newsletter outlines next steps for Council’s work at the Paper Subdivision.

Investigations have highlighted it will cost more than $30 million to proceed with a Development Plan to deliver essential services using the Paper Subdivisions Legislation. We are confirming cost estimates over the next few months with further work on land surveying, staging and contamination investigations.

To make the essential services more affordable, we are seeking external funding from both State and Federal Governments. We need to know the outcome of funding approaches before we can work out how much landowners need to contribute.

We will begin conducting land survey works to identify future easements on properties in the subdivision starting in October 2021. More detail on this will be distributed to all landowners in coming weeks.

Highlights from meeting 20 of the Wyee Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference Group – 2 September 2021

Council held the September Reference Group meeting online due to the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.

For a full overview of what was discussed at the meeting, please refer to the September meeting minutes.

Join the Wyee Heights Action Group

A Facebook group has been set up for the paper subdivision. It is an independent discussion group open only to landowners and residents of the subdivision. It is not affiliated with Council in any way. Organisers have asked us to make you aware of the group and extend the invitation to join it.

You can request to join the Facebook group via this link and click on ‘join group’. A few questions will be asked to make sure all in the group are landowners within the paper subdivision. Please note, you will need an active Facebook account in order to participate in the group.

13 Aug 2021

Council held the July and August Reference Group meetings online due to COVID-19 restrictions.

For a full overview of what was discussed at these meetings, please refer to the minutes below.

July meeting minutes

August meeting minutes

Appointment of three new Reference Group members

The agenda for the July and August meetings focused on appointing three new Reference Group members.

In summary:

• Council received 11 EOI applications.
• Council shortlisted the EOIs using the selection criteria. Kirsty shared the three recommended candidates with the Reference Group at the July meeting.
• Reference Group members considered the recommendations and finalised selection of the three successful applicants at the July meeting.
• Kirsty contacted all applicants about the outcome.
• Two of the successful applicants accepted their membership: Garry Van Dyk and Cheryl Ashdown.
• The third successful applicant, however, declined their membership.
• Kirsty discussed the appointment of a third member at the August meeting.
• The group considered the next person on the EOI list and offered a membership position to Tara McDermott, which she has accepted.

The newest members have been added to the Reference Group Terms of Reference.

Thank you again to everyone who submitted an application.

16 Jun 2021

Drop-in sessions have been running weekly in Wyee on Thursdays since 18 March, with up to eight attendees at some sessions.

We will continue running drop-ins until the end of June and pause through July and August as attendance numbers have dropped with the start of Winter. We’ll re-commence drop-ins and other landowner meetings after we finalise the cost estimates we are working on.

We have appreciated the time to talk with many landowners over this time and we’ve heard your concerns about the current issues within the subdivision. Some of the common questions at these sessions have been on the cost and how landowners will pay for the essential services. We are working on finalising these costs for essential services and the Development Plan and we will provide a final figure once we have this confirmed.

If you would like more information, view our FAQs on this topic.

If you haven’t had the chance to attend a drop-in session yet, please come along to the next sessions which will be held on Thursday 17 and Thursday 24 June, between 10am and 2pm at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, 20 Gorokan Road, Wyee.

We will continue to explore other ways of contacting other people we haven’t spoken to yet to ensure all landowners understand the Development Plan process and have the opportunity to ask questions.

Selection process for new Reference Group members

We have had interest from eight applicants so far to join the Reference Group. If you’d like to submit an EOI to join the Group you can do so on our website until Thursday 1 July, 2021.

Here's some information about how the selection process will work:

• Once EOI submissions have closed, Council staff will undertake an initial assessment of the applications and create a shortlist of eligible candidates using the selection criteria.
• At the next Reference Group meeting, Kirsty will present the full list of applicants to the group to discuss how their applications were assessed, who was shortlisted and why. The minutes of this meeting will be published on this website.
• We will then use the selection criteria as a group to determine the three successful candidates. Phone calls to these candidates may occur at this point to clarify any final details before membership is offered.
• Once the successful candidates have accepted their membership, we will let the other candidates know that their application was not successful.
• Should any candidates decline membership, we will offer Reference Group membership to the next eligible candidate.
• Once membership has been filled, we will notify all landowners and update our Terms of Reference to include new Reference Group members.

If you have any questions or concerns about the process we intend to use for assessing these EOIs, please let us know.

As usual, Reference Group meetings will continue on the first Thursday of the month. You can view minutes from the June Reference Group meeting here.

10 Jun 2021

The Reference Group met on Thursday 3 June, where Kirsty gave updates on the following items:

• Seven (7) Expressions of Interest have been received so far from landowners interested in joining the Reference Group
• Council staff met with Landcom to understand their approach to the Riverstone Paper Subdivision
• We are gathering information to more accurately estimate the cost of the Development Plan. This includes surveying property boundaries affected by easements. We will be in contact with affected property owners soon.
• We will not have costs finalised in time to report to Council before the September elections. This means that we will need to wait until November to confirm whether Council will support the proposed forward-funding model. The overall Project Plan and timelines are being revised.

Minutes of the meeting are available to view here.

New Reference Group Members: Call for Expressions of Interest!

Are you interested in being part of the Landowner Reference Group and assisting landowners to vote on a Development Plan?

Three positions have opened up on the Reference Group. Any owners of land in the Wyee Paper Subdivision are invited to apply.

Please click for more information and instructions on how to apply.

Expressions of Interest will close 5pm Thursday 1 July, 2021.

01 Jun 2021

We wanted to give you an update on our progress on calling landowners to update their contact information. This action was discussed at the 8 April information session.

Some of the contact details we have on file initially came from landowner rates information, which we are not sure is still current for some landowners.

To check that our files are correct, we have:

• Called 48 landowners in May to check their details are up to date and left voice messages / emails to those who did not answer the phone.
• 39 of these landowners have confirmed their contact information.
• 9 of these landowners are yet to get back to us to confirm their details are correct (phone, email and mailing address). We will continue to follow up with these people. If you have not yet responded to us, you can update your details at this link.
• There are 4 landowners who we only have addresses on file for, who have not responded to our letters requesting them to update their information. This number has come down from 8 landowners in March – four of them have responded in April/May.
• We have had recent contact with all other landowners in some capacity and checked their information either in-person, at events, on the phone, via email, etc.

We will continue to focus on making connection with the 13 landowners who are yet to confirm their details with us.

Again, if your contact details have changed recently please let us know – you can update your contact details at this link.

13 May 2021

The Reference Group met on Thursday 6 May for a first look at a Development Plan document, and to discuss future membership of the Reference Group.

Minutes of the meeting are available to view here.

New Reference Group Members: Call for Expressions of Interest!

Are you interested in being part of the Landowner Reference Group and assisting landowners to vote on a Development Plan?

Three positions have opened up on the Reference Group. Any owners of land in the Wyee Paper Subdivision are invited to apply.

Please check our eligibility criteria and review the Terms of Reference and Code of Conduct. All Reference Group members must state that they are willing to undertake the role as described in the Terms of Reference, and abide by the Code of Conduct.

All eligible landowners are encouraged to apply online by 5pm Thursday 1 July, 2021. We would like to maintain balanced representation of landowners across the subdivision – so there are some people we will preference.

How to submit your Expression of Interest

Please fill out this online form by 5pm Thursday 1 July, 2021.

We are looking for:

• Most importantly, landowners who are willing to represent the broader landowner community, feedback information to other landowners, and advise the Reference Group on landowner views. Reference Group members must be willing for their contact details to be made available to other landowners in the paper subdivision, and to be contacted by and provide information to other landowners.
• A mix of resident and non-resident landowners.
• A mix of locations within the subdivision, including representatives from Tulkaba, Karakunba and Bushells Ridge Roads.
• A mix of age and gender, including some new male members.
• Landowners with no current compliance action against them.
• Are willing and able to meet in person 1-2 evenings per month at Wyee West Seventh Day Adventist Church.

05 May 2021

Since March, we’ve been based at Wyee West Seventh Day Adventist Church every Thursday between 10am – 2pm.

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to come in and chat with us so far – your feedback has been invaluable to us. We will continue holding these sessions for the foreseeable future.

This Thursday 6 May, a member of the Reference Group will be joining us at the drop-in, so if you are available to attend, we’d love to see you there.

A couple of reminders…

• If your details have changed recently, you can update them on our webpage.
• If you haven’t already watched our 8 April landowner information session video, we encourage you do to so and provide your feedback. We will close this round of feedback at 5pm Friday 14 May. We’ll take another round of feedback when we have some more information around the options available. Stay tuned!

Kind regards,

The Project Team

19 Apr 2021

A landowner information session was held at Wyee Seventh Day Adventist Church on the 8 April, 2021.

We thank everyone who attended the evening. The key information presented at the information session included:

• The history and background of the Paper Subdivision
• Work undertaken by Council since 2013 to date
• Estimated timelines for the project and current gaps in our knowledge
• Proposed funding models, including payment options and cost allocations to be explored
• Questions that came up at the 8 April information session.

You can view the information session minutes here.

We also distributed an FAQs sheet on the night, which you can view here.

Watch the recorded presentation below and provide your feedback

Kirsty Hammer (Project lead) and Dwight Graham (Chief Financial Officer) have recorded their presentation for those who were unable to attend the event.

Landowners are encouraged to watch the entire video below (37:43 min) and provide feedback on the payment and cost allocation options presented by Dwight.

Video Timestamps:

00:00: Welcome and overview.

01:42: The history and background of the Paper Subdivision.

05.39: Work undertaken by Council since 2013 to date.

07:33: What’s next? Estimated timelines for the project and current gaps in our knowledge in terms of Development Plan costs.

14:35: Proposed funding models with CFO Dwight Graham, including payment options and cost allocations to be explored.

27:49: How to contact us.

28:03: Questions that came up at the 8 April information session.

Why your feedback is important

We want to hear from as many landowners as possible so that we can go back to Council with more information and gain their approval on a proposed way forward.

This feedback form is not a vote. There will be more opportunities to feedback throughout the process, particularly as the costs become clearer. The feedback form will give us an indication of what landowners think about the options presented.

Make sure your contact details on the feedback form are up-to-date so that we may continue to update you with developments as they arise.

Please note: as mentioned in the video, the financial options presented have not yet been approved by Council.

Contact us

If you have questions about the information covered in the video, please contact Council's Integrated Planning Team on 4921 0333 or email [email protected].

17 Mar 2021

The Landowner Reference Group meeting was held on the 4 March and focussed on the following topics:

• Adoption of revised Terms of Reference for the group
• Presented information about Riverstone paper subdivision process and key learnings
• Financial modelling and payment plan Q&A with CFO Dwight Graham
• Review of the overall project plan for 2021.

You can view the minutes here.

You can view the overall project plan for Wyee West Paper Subdivision here.

Weekly drop-in sessions:

Council staff will be at Wyee Seventh Day Adventist Church (20 Gorokan Road, Wyee) every Thursday between 10am – 2pm.

This is an opportunity for people to drop by and ask questions in an informal setting.

Community information session

A community information session will be held on the evening of Thursday 8 April at the Wyee Seventh Day Adventist Church. (20 Gorokan Road, Wyee).

Due to COVID restrictions in the building, please register your attendance via our Eventbrite link.

This will be an opportunity for us to share the information with the wider community that has been presented to the Reference Group to date and answer your questions in more detail.

The event will run as follows:

5.00pm – 6.00pm

• Sausage sizzle / meet and greet
• View detailed engineering plans and ask questions.

6.00pm – 6.30pm

• Formal registration and refreshments.

6.30pm - 8pm

• Project Plan presentation and Q&As
• Financial Modelling, Payment and Q&As

Please register your attendance via our Eventbrite link.

Please note:

If you cannot attend this session, we will be providing a recorded version of the information session as soon as possible after this meeting. The video will be published on this webpage.

Those who are unable to attend can also:

• Make an appointment to speak with our Project Lead, Kirsty Hammer on 0436 912 229
• Meet us in person at our weekly drop-in sessions at Wyee Seventh Day Adventist Church - Council staff will be there every Thursday between 10am - 2pm.

12 Feb 2021

There were a number of additional Council staff at the meeting to provide updates, as well as new staff who have recently joined the team.

Kirsty Hammer has recently been appointed as Project Coordinator and is looking forward to working with the landowners and Wyee community. Project plans are underway to deliver the land holder ballot in 2021. This ballot will ask landowners to vote to accept a draft development plan, which outlines the proposed subdivision works and how they will be funded. Kirsty joins us from the private sector, and has a strong commitment to supporting improved social outcomes through planning.

The Landowner Reference Group meeting focussed on the following topics:

1. Development plan designs
2. Cost allocation methods
3. Payment options for infrastructure

The meeting minutes are available to download here.

1. Development Plan designs

All attendees reviewed the plans of the proposed infrastructure works, including engineering, roads, sewer, water, storm water and electricity designs. Questions were fielded by various staff relating to the plans, including areas of biodiversity, zoning and adjoining development.

A Bill of Quantities report has been prepared (Rider Levett Bucknall, November 2020) to provide an estimate of the cost of development works including roads, sewerage, drainage, groundworks, electricity and water supply. The estimated cost of these works is $18.6 million. Council is confirming costs of development in addition to these works, including the preparation of the development plan. We are aiming to finalise our estimate of these costs as soon as possible.

The designs are now available to download.

Wyee West Paper Subdivision: Infrastructure Works

Proposed Watermains

Proposed Sewermains

Electrical Summary

Detailed Electrical Plans

Wyee West Subdivision: Street Trees / Verge Turf

If you have any questions in relation to the designs, please call Kirsty Hammer on (02) 4921 0395 or contact the project team online.

2. Cost allocation methods

To present information about cost allocation and payment methods, Council’s Chief Financial Officer, Dwight Graham was in attendance, along with Business and Financial Partner, Jack Nicholas.

A wide range of cost allocations methods were considered by Council’s finance team, with three key methods presented for further consideration. The group looked at how the shared costs could be allocated based on:

• Land Area,
• Land Value, and
• Uplift (the estimated value uplift of the property after the subdivision works are completed).

A rationale for these three methods was provided. The effect of each method of allocation was shown for different types of lots:

• Large lots with no formed road frontage (approx. 1000m2)
• Medium-sized lots with no formed road frontage (approx. 550m2)
• Lots with an existing structure (approx. 550m2)
• Corner lots (approx. 870m2)
• Lots with existing formed road frontage (approx. 1,100m2)

The financial figures used in the meeting were for illustrative purposes only. It enabled the variation of outcomes for different types of lots, that result from each allocation method, to be shown. Final costings for infrastructure and preparation of the development plan are yet to be determined.

3. Payment options for landowners

In the meeting, Dwight Graham proposed the following three payment options:

1. Pay upfront by pre-determined date
2. Council takes a charge over the property which is repaid over time according to a payment plan
3. Council takes a charge over the property which is paid in full when the property changes hands.

These options were received positively by the group.

Options two and three would involve Council taking a low interest loan to pay for the works up front, with landowners paying it back. Council will work with the Landowners Reference Group to ensure transparency around this matter.

Information session at Wyee West

Now that the cost allocation methods and payment plans have been tested with the Landowner Reference Group, we are planning a community information session to share this information with all landowners in more detail and answer any questions you might have.

We will update this website with details of the information session in the coming weeks and notify you as soon as it is published.

Kirsty will be arranging monthly Landowner Reference Group sessions and will be visiting the area frequently in the lead up to the ballot. Extra meetings and briefing sessions for all landowners will also be arranged. We will publish more information on these as dates are determined.

Have questions?

Please contact Council's Integrated Planning Team on 4921 0333 or email [email protected].

12 Jan 2021

The Wyee West community recently notified Council of significant ruts forming along Tulkaba and Karakunba Roads, most likely caused by recent wet weather events.

Council inspected the roads on Tuesday 12 January and determined the need for some patch gravelling maintenance.

To allow safer access for emergency vehicles and garbage trucks, minor gravel patching will be carried out (by hand) on both Tulkaba and Karakunba Roads this week.

Further maintenance works will commence the week of the 18 January, where Council staff will patch and compact with a roller the affected areas.

23 Dec 2020

To cap off what has been a challenging year, we spoke with Aaron Nash, Development Compliance Officer, to talk about the key achievements for 2020 at Wyee West.

Since beginning his role in 2016, Aaron has made over 300 visits to the area and is a tremendous asset to the Project Team. If you live in Wyee West, then you’ve probably seen or spoken to Aaron at some point over the last few years!

Q - Aaron, completing the property inspections at Wyee West is a huge milestone for the project.

You’re currently finalising the inspection reports - can you tell us a bit about what information is going in them?

Tyler Drake (Senior Building Surveyor) and myself worked with over 70 landowners to inspect the dwellings at Wyee West and create a profile for each property. We’re very grateful to the landowners for their trust in allowing us on their lots. It’s been a lengthy but very important process to complete.

Tyler looked at each dwelling to understand if they can pass the building code – or at least be prepared to pass the building code, and how much work that will take for the landowner.

I’ve been focussed on getting to know the landowners and gathering information to understand their current situation, how long they’ve lived on the property, the services connected to their lot and their intentions / aspirations for the land.

We’re now combining all of this information to create a full inspection report for each property.

Q - So how will this information help Council moving forward?

Council staff will use the inspections reports to:

• Decide on resources for the project, particularly in regards to hazard reduction and waste removal
• Help determine the distribution of infrastructure costs for each of the properties. This will be very important information to have for the one-on-one landowner meetings in 2021
• Understand how we can work with landowners and what timelines are needed to allow people to do improvements on the property. For example, Council will look at putting in reasonable timeframes for owners to lodge DA’s and undertake any building work.

Q - Would you say that the decrease in unauthorised work at Wyee West is another achievement?

Yes, I’ve noticed that unauthorised works have decreased dramatically over the last year.

A big thank you to the existing property owners who have always seemed to want to comply when seeking advice. It’s hard when a lot of them are wanting to complete works but can’t. We really appreciate their patience as we work towards getting the best possible outcome for the entire community.

Q - What are some other key achievements for the year?

We used to get complaints about overgrown vegetation becoming a fire hazard and attracting vermin. Letters were sent out asking people to remove vegetation on their lots and most residents and landowners complied. We really appreciate their efforts. Even though it’s shaping up to be a wetter Summer this year, it’s still important for residents to be prepared and complete a bushfire survival plan.

The Council Project Team also did a great job in finalising the infrastructure engineering designs with Ausgrid and Hunter Water. This meant that the team could get cost estimates from the Quantity Surveyor - which is another major milestone completed.

We’ll be kicking off the year with a Wyee West Reference Group meeting in early February and will be working more closely with landowners next year as the draft Development Plan is prepared.

Q - Do you have any updates about road grading?

The community are really wanting the roads to get graded. Tullokan Road is currently the only graded road – there is currently no budget allocated for ongoing maintenance on the other roads. This is another reason why Council is wanting to work with landowners towards the draft Development Plan which will provide the funds necessary to upgrade roads and provide other services like sewer, water, electricity. We want these issues to be addressed and dealt with in a sustainable way.

The roads are currently deemed trafficable for emergency services, but if there are any further concerns about this, landowners can contact council.

--

With all of the hard work completed to date, 2021 is set to be a milestone year for this project.

A big thank you to everyone who worked with Council staff this year to move us closer towards the draft Development Plan. We wish all of you a happy and safe holiday season.

12 Nov 2020

Whilst preparing the draft Development Plan is a complex and lengthy process for Council, we are happy to report that the inspection program is almost complete. We are currently working through the information gathered to date to help us prepare the costing options for infrastructure. In preparation for the individual landowner meetings, if you have recently changed your contact details, please assist us by updating your contact details online.

Our approach to road maintenance

Council is committed to assisting landowners to realise the development potential of the Wyee West Paper Subdivision, however there are still a number of steps before permanent roads can be built.

In July 2020, temporary works were undertaken on Tullokan Road, Waropara Road, Pirama Road, Tulkaba Road and Karakunba Road. As we progress towards completing the draft Development Plan, Council will continue to monitor these roads on an ad-hoc basis.

Whilst there is no funding to establish a formal road maintenance schedule for the area, temporary improvements will be made where necessary to ensure the roads are trafficable and provide safe access for emergency and waste services to the area.

Are you prepared for bushfire season?

Council will be clearing the long grass/vegetation along the boundary of Radcliffe Estate and Wyee West in November and will continue this twice a year to maintain a fire break.

We ask all Wyee West residents to play their part in reducing fire hazards this summer by removing any rubbish or hazardous materials from your yard that may increase risk of fire in the area.

You may have noticed that the November newsletter has been published. If you would like further information, contact us via phone or email, or ask the project team a question.

Kind regards,

The Project Team

07 Aug 2020

Following community concerns, Council assessed the safety and usability of roads in the Wyee West Paper Subdivision. As a result of this assessment, we have undertaken additional temporary works.

Council’s Westside Maintenance team completed patch gravelling works along Tullokan Road, Waropara Road, Pirama Road, Tulkaba Road and Karakunba Road within the paper subdivision during week commencing Monday 27 July. These temporary works are to make the roads trafficable for emergency and waste services. Similar works were undertaken in some areas a month ago.

In late 2018-early 2019, Council undertook temporary placement of reclaimed asphalt pavement (a hard-wearing gravel) along Pirama Road, Tulkaba Road and Karakunba Road to enable waste collection from occupied properties that may require this service. Council is required to charge occupied properties for domestic waste management under the Local Government Act. The domestic waste charge does not apply to properties considered both vacant and unable to be lawfully developed. As a result, properties within the subdivision that are and remain vacant are exempt.

Council is committed to assisting landowners to realise the development potential of the Wyee West Paper Subdivision, however there are still a number of steps before permanent roads, drainage and other services can be built. While we work through these steps with the community to finalise the Development Plan, Council will continue to monitor these roads annually, assess the conditions and undertake temporary improvements, where necessary.

If you would like further information, contact the project team via phone or email, or ask the project team a question.

Kind regards,

The Project Team

31 Jul 2020

As part of our preparation for landowner group meetings later this year to discuss the Development Plan, lot requirements and options, we are contacting each landowner.

We have been in touch with almost everyone on our landowner contact list with available phone numbers and will now be reaching out to those on email and mailing address only. We would really like to speak with you over the phone or via email to talk about your receipt and preferences for project information, ability to attend a virtual meeting and answer any question you may have about the paper subdivision and next steps.

If you haven't heard from Council, please contact Joanne Dunkerley on 4921 0416, Samantha Hardie on 4921 0492 or Karen Marples on 4921 0326. We are hoping to speak with all remaining landowner groups in the coming weeks.

Kind regards,

The Project Team

30 Jun 2020

Over the last two months, we have been finalising the electrical and stormwater designs with Ausgrid and Hunter Water with the intention of providing these reports with the detailed engineering designs for the development plan to the quantity surveyors within a few weeks. There has been an anticipated delay due to Covid-19 restrictions and work impacts for Council and external agencies, however we are almost at the end of the design process. The quantity surveyors will prepare detailed cost estimates based on the engineering designs for roads and infrastructure. From here, we will be able to determine the requirements for each lot in the paper subdivision.

We have been able to assess communication and meeting requirements under Covid-19 restrictions and social distancing practices to meet or virtually meet with landowners in the coming months. As mentioned in the last Newsletter, Council is calling landowners to discuss preferred meeting options so we can talk about the development plan, lot requirements and individual circumstances. If you haven’t received a call yet, we will continue to call throughout July. If you haven’t heard from us by Friday 31 July, please contact Council on 4921 0333 and ask for Samantha Hardie or Karen Marples, we will assist you further and ensure we have the correct contact details going forward. We will continue to give you a progress update on this process.

At this stage, the inspection program is still on hold. We will advise landowners as soon as we confirm when this will recommence. When the inspections and reports are complete, there will be a significant amount of time allowed to complete any required changes.

If you would like any further information, please contact the project team via Ask the Project Team a question.

Stay safe,

The Project Team

24 Apr 2020

The latest Wyee West Community Newsletter is now available. The newsletter provides an update on Council's COVID-19 response, progress on the draft Development Plan, changes to the inspection program, keeping you safe and our communication with you.

There is an opportunity to tell us what further information about the paper subdivision will be helpful to you. We are developing a series of fact sheets to make information more accessible.

We have also created a project snapshot to help outline the planning process.

If you would like any further information on the project, don't hesitate to get in contact with our project team or email [email protected].

Happy reading.

01 Apr 2020

The project team have been working on a newsletter update for landowners for Q1 2020 that was expected to be sent out late March. We have experienced minor delays with the newsletter due to some work disruption and impacts in response to the Coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. The team has worked to resolve these issues and progress the newsletter. It will soon be available online, through email notification and mailed out. Please take this opportunity to update your contact details and provide an email address for electronic correspondence. We will update this post when the newsletter is available to download.

This project is very important to Council and work has been continuing behind the scenes to progress development solutions and the draft Development Plan. In the coming months, we aim to be in touch with all landowner groups to discuss the Plan. If you could please take the time to update or confirm your contact details, it will ensure we will be able to reach you and connect about the project.

18 Feb 2020

There were a number of additional Council staff at the meeting to provide updates and introductions from the project team, sharing the commitment to the development plan and helping to progress this project forward.

Samantha Hardie has taken over as Project Coordinator and is looking forward to working with the landowners, the Wyee community and other stakeholders to deliver a resolution for the paper subdivision. Samantha is a Strategic Landuse Planner with Council and although being more behind the scenes for the project in recent years, she’s been part of the project team since 2017. Samantha can be reached on 4921 0492 or email [email protected].

Manager Integrated Planning Wes Hain will continue to be an ongoing member of the internal project team and he reaffirmed the Council Senior Leadership Team’s commitment to the project. Wes worked to transfer the subdivision roads to public roads and has been across the complexities, and involved in trying to resolve many of the challenges, faced by the project. Wes shared the project’s importance to Council and the continued investment of resources into the project.

Council’s building surveyors Greg Brook and Michael Corrigan gave an update on the dwelling inspections. Six have been completed so far with a further 29 to be undertaken. Michael will be completing the inspections and information on dates and reporting will be provided to onsite landowners soon. Council reassured landowners that they would contact the six landowners that have had inspections undertaken to let them know more information about the process and reporting. Council also reassured that the inspections and reporting happening now would allow a significant amount of time to complete any required changes to infrastructure.

The group discussed bushfire risks and Council will update the website and distribute information on actions that landowners could practicably be doing to reduce the risk. Representative of the Wyee Seventh Day Adventist Church, Barry Chapman, was a guest and he offered to liaise with the local Rural Fire Service department about including the paper subdivision in their management of the area.

A set of interim engineering plans were available to review and a number of challenges including the gas pipeline and stormwater drainage were discussed. The group also discussed energy services and the opportunity for more sustainable or eco-living infrastructure options. The proposed draft engineering plans are expected to be received by Council at the end of the month. Once received, Council will have to opportunity to review and respond. When the plans reflect the best options and outcomes possible, the project team will consult with this reference group and landowner groups.

Once the engineering detailed design is completed, Council will engage quantity surveyors to prepare detailed cost estimates for the roads and infrastructure.

The Reference Group was also asked to consider how Council could improve engagement with landowners. Much of the activity over the last 12 months has been undertaken by consultants and there were few opportunities to share new information with landowners. Council has made a commitment to deliver more regular communication to landowners through mailouts and email and have more information available on the website including frequently asked questions (FAQs) and fact sheets.

Share your communication preferences or an idea for engaging landowners via Ask the project team a question.

Andrew Donald expressed his thanks to the group for their valued contribution to the project over his time as Project Coordinator. It has been one of the more complex and rewarding projects of his career at Council and he wished everyone the very best going forward. We congratulate Andrew on his new opportunity and wish him every success.

13 Dec 2019

The project team is expecting that the engineering design work for the paper subdivision will be completed in early 2020.

Unfortunately we've experienced a few challenges along the way associated with existing major gas infrastructure and limitations on downstream drainage assets, however, we've been working through these challenges with our consultants.

Once the design work is complete, Council will engage quantity surveyors to accurately estimate construction costs.

This information will allow us to progress feasibility testing of infrastructure costs.

Our compliance staff are continuing to monitor the area for any new unauthorised development and in some instances are working with current landowners to remove waste and unapproved structures.

Further building inspections will take place in the new year in order to determine whether existing dwellings are capable of meeting minimum required safety standards.

We will continue to keep landowners informed as work on this important project progresses.

08 Apr 2019

Since the meeting in December, a number of planning studies for paper subdivision have been undertaken and reported to Council including geotechnical, bushfire threat, cultural heritage, archaeology and biodiversity. The most recent instalment was the biodiversity assessment report, which outlines requirements for offsetting the impact of future clearing within the residential-zoned part of the paper subdivision. Council staff are currently reviewing these reports which will be used to inform the engineering design.

The engineering design contract has been awarded to ADW Johnson with expected delivery of the engineering design in September-October this year. This work will form the basis for detailed cost estimate which will be prepared by an experienced quantity surveyor.

Following on from the presentation last meeting by CSIRO’s Dr John Ward on alternative energy supply options for the Wyee paper subdivision, a summary analysis of the five options and estimated costs is now available. If you have any comments or questions, please share them on Ask the project team a question.

The Reference Group discussed a range of potential infrastructure contribution options for landowners. Comments reflected on containing all infrastructure costs as much as practicable for the benefit of landowners, living costs associated with the new infrastructure, complexity of administering numerous options, and the potential for land trading to help satisfy biodiversity conservation requirement. These options were designed to enable participation from a majority of landowners, if not all. Group members were asked to consider the options further and report back with any comments or additional inclusions. We intend to invite all paper subdivision landowners to consultation events once we have further investigated and refined the contributions options.

The Reference Group was also asked to consider how Council could improve engagement with landowners. Many landowners have not made contact with Council’s project team. Greater engagement aims to increase the number of landowners participating in consultation activities and to ensure the process to create the Development Plan is inclusive, collaborative and accessible to all landowners. Suggestions are still being collected and reviewed. If you would like to tell us your preference or an idea for engaging landowners, share them on Ask the project team a question.

Group members were also advised that the Hunter Water Wyee Sewer Scheme has a dedicated consultation site, find out more at: www.yourvoice.hunterwater.com.au/wyee-sewer.

29 Nov 2018

Following on from the presentation by CSIRO’s Dr John Ward, Science Director – Grids and Energy Efficient Systems at the September meeting, John returned this month to present his findings of alternative energy supply options for the Wyee paper subdivision.

CSIRO investigated and analysed three alternative options:

1. Business as usual, whereelectricity infrastructure is built to Ausgrid specifications and owned by Ausgrid.
2. Subdivision is serviced by a private grid, with asingle point of connection to the Ausgrid network and landowners own the electricity distribution infrastructure (i.e. wires and transformers) within the subdivision.
3. Private grid and automated energy demand management, is the same as option 2, but also includes smart technology to automatically regulate energy to minimise peak loads and the need to import (or export) electricity from outside the private grid.

As part of this process, they looked at the solar photovoltaic hosting capacity, household energy use characteristics, network tariff options and energy management options, and the investigations concluded that all three options are viable.

Council staff are currently reviewing the tender submissions for the complete engineering design for roads, drainage and reticulated water and sewer, power and other associated infrastructure for the subdivision. We hope to award the design contract before Christmas and expect this work to be completed by the middle of next year. This will allow us to get accurate costings and develop funding options, which we can discuss with landowners prior to finalising a development plan and holding a landowner ballot.

We wish all the residents and landowners of the Wyee West Paper Subdivision a safe and merry Christmas and look forward to continuing our work with you in 2019.

13 Nov 2018

The project reached a significant milestone this month, with Council issuing the tender for the complete engineering design for roads, drainage and reticulated water and sewer, power and other associated infrastructure for the subdivision. We hope to award the design contract next month and expect this work to be completed by the middle of next year. This will allow us to get accurate costings and develop funding options, which we can discuss with landowners prior to finalising a development plan and holding a landowner ballot.

We have had consultants prepare a number of studies to help inform subdivision and infrastructure design. These include ecology, archaeology, geotechnical and bushfire.

At November’s meeting, Council’s Chief Building Surveyor, Greg Brook and Principal Building Surveyor Gordon Dryburgh provided an update to the group on how Council’s compliance and building teams will be working together in early 2019 to undertake assessments of existing dwellings, and ascertain which ones may be able to be brought up to a satisfactory level of compliance. Gordon and Greg outlined how they will be looking to use the appropriate building codes for the time that a structure was built, i.e. if it is deemed a structure was built in 1980, the structure will be assessed against the building regulation used at that time, not 2018.

In the coming months, Council is planning on carrying out temporary improvements to a number of unformed roads (namely Pirama, Tulkaba and Karakunba roads) to improve access and trafficability (similar to work carried out on Waropara Road in 2016).

02 Oct 2018

A presentation from CSIRO’s Dr John Ward, Science Director – Grids and Energy Efficient Systems was the highlight of the September meeting, following Council’s engagement of CSIRO Energy Centre to investigate alternative energy supply options for the Wyee paper subdivision.

Over the coming months, CSIRO will be investigating and analysing three alternative options:

1. Business as usual, where electricity infrastructure is built to Ausgrid specifications and owned by Ausgrid.
2. Subdivision is serviced by a private grid, with a single point of connection to the Ausgrid network and landowners own the electricity distribution infrastructure (i.e. wires and transformers) within the subdivision.
3. Private grid and automated energy demand management, is the same as option 2, but also includes smart technology to automatically regulate energy to minimise peak loads and the need to import (or export) electricity from outside the private grid.

CSIRO expects to present findings to reference group in November.

Ongoing compliance monitoring activities are continuing within the subdivision, and there has been some recent success with landowners removing recently erected structures. The planning studies that will inform the design of new infrastructure (including biodiversity, archaeological, bushfire and geotechnical) are progressing well.

Residents were also advised that the Hunter Water Wyee Sewer Scheme has a dedicated consultation site, find out more at: www.yourvoice.hunterwater.com.au/wyee-sewer.

21 Sep 2018

The reference group met in late August and were provided an update on how the studies and investigations are progressing on the Development Plan for the Wyee West subdivision.

The group also took the opportunity to reflect on how they’ve been working together so far and looking to the future.

The rest of the meeting was focused on Council’s continued compliance effort to monitor the area for new unauthorised development, including support and advice for residents currently living in the paper subdivision to help achieve long-term development goals for the area.

We intend to invite all paper subdivision landowners to consultation events once we have further refined both the contributions options, and our strategy for addressing existing development.

We’d encourage any interested residents who’d like to know more, to contact us through the online portal (click on the “Ask the Project Team a Question” tab), email or phone.

12 Jul 2018

The reference group met in early July and received updates on the status of consultant studies for the paper subdivision, including ecology, archaeology and cultural heritage, and geotechnical. A bushfire study is planned to commence in the coming weeks.

The group also further discussed options for infrastructure contributions, with a view to ensuring an infrastructure solution that is both equitable and affordable for all landowners.

In addition to an upfront payment, other options under investigation are:

• a deferred payment scheme that would allow a landowner to pay a deposit prior to commencement of infrastructure works and the balance (including interest) within a few months of completion of works (potentially allowing landowners to borrow against the value of their serviced lot)
• a land trading scheme available to owners of multiple lots or other lots considered to have subdivision potential (this would basically allow owners to pay for infrastructure with land instead of cash)
• full dedication of land prior to infrastructure works and receipt of profit after sale of serviced lot and recovery of Council’s costs. (This would allow a landowner of a vacant lot to receive any profit from the uplift in property value achieved because of infrastructure works).
• a voluntary charge on the Land Title that would require the infrastructure cost (plus accrued interest) to be repaid to Council when the property transfers. It would be up to the landowner to decide whether they make any repayments in the meantime. This option would likely only be offered to landowners for whom the paper subdivision is currently their principal place of residence.

The rest of the meeting was focused on Council’s continued compliance effort to monitor the area for new unauthorised development, including support and advice for residents currently living in the paper subdivision to help achieve long-term development goals for the area.

We intend to invite all paper subdivision landowners to consultation events once we have further refined both the contributions options, and our strategy for addressing existing development.

We’d encourage any interested residents who’d like to know more, to contact us through the online portal (click on the “Ask the Project Team a Question” tab), email or phone.

16 May 2018

The focus of the most recent meeting was exploring ideas for infrastructure contributions by landowners. In summary, the current options under investigation are:

• Upfront payment (may involve a landowner-obtained mortgage)
• Land trading (offered to owners of multiple lots and owners of lots with subdivision potential)
• Voluntary sale of lot to Council
• Deferred payment option through a charge on Title of land by agreement (option subject to means-testing and legal advice).

Over the coming months, we will further develop these options with a view to arriving at an infrastructure solution that is both equitable and affordable for all landowners.

Council officers also advised that Council is doing its best to expedite preparation of the Development Plan by commencing infrastructure design work prior to receiving final results of environmental studies.

We are also looking at the potential to incorporate sustainable energy technology within the subdivision that would reduce reliance on conventional electricity infrastructure.

Our compliance staff are continuing to monitor the area for new unauthorised development. Council reinforced that restricting further development until essential services are in place is necessary to limit the number of residents living in potentially unsafe conditions, and to help achieve long-term development goals for the area.

We will be providing a more formal update to all landowners in the coming months that will include information on how we plan to consult landowners about the preparation of the Development Plan.

13 Apr 2018

At this month’s meeting on 12 April, the group discussed the recent community meeting hosted by Member for Lake Macquarie, Greg Piper and Hunter Water on the Wyee sewer scheme, and potential implications for the paper subdivision. You can find out more about the Wyee Sewer Scheme at Hunter Water’s website.

Council officers gave an update on other matters relevant to the paper subdivision, including upcoming meetings with CSIRO to discuss sustainable energy technologies for residential estates. The group was also advised that geotechnical and archaeological consultants will soon be appointed to undertake studies for the area. This work is a precursor to engineering design, which will allow us to accurately estimate construction costs.

In the coming months, we will be exploring in more detail how these infrastructure costs can be paid for by landowners in a way that is both equitable and affordable.

Our compliance staff are actively monitoring the area for new unauthorised development. Council reiterated its position that restricting further development until essential services are in place is necessary to limit the number of residents living in potentially unsafe conditions, and to help achieve long-term development goals for the area.

19 Mar 2018

At this month’s meeting on 15 March, the group received a presentation from Habitat for Humanity – a not-for-profit organisation that helps low-income families achieve the dream of building and owning their own home. They also help disadvantaged families through their Brush with Kindness program.

Brush with Kindness mobilises teams of volunteers to conduct landscaping and minor repairs to the exterior of homes of people who may be disadvantaged, disabled or socially isolated. You can find out more about Habitat’s programs at their website, https://habitat.org.au/.

Habitat indicated they might be able to assist Wyee West paper subdivision residents in the future. A number of existing residents will require assistance either to bring their homes “up to code” or rebuild where the existing structures are not suitable for permanent occupation. Council will continue to explore this potential partnership over the coming months.

Council officers gave an update on other matters relevant to the paper subdivision, including recent meetings with Hunter Water Corporation and Landcom. Council requested that Hunter Water’s proposed Wyee Sewer Scheme be designed with the capacity to service the paper subdivision and other future development in the Gorokan Road area. Discussions were also held with the project team at Landcom working on developing the Riverstone Scheduled Lands – a paper subdivision in north west Sydney. Landcom agreed to share information with Council that may assist with the development of Wyee West.

The group was also advised that Council had recently engaged an ecological consulting firm who will commence fieldwork within the paper subdivision in late March. We will also soon appoint geotechnical and archaeological consultants to undertake studies for the area. These are the first of a number of studies being undertaken over the coming months that will form the basis for detailed engineering plans for roads and infrastructure. This work will allow us to accurately estimate construction costs.

In the coming weeks and months, we will be exploring how these infrastructure costs can be paid for by landowners in a way that is both equitable and affordable.

Our compliance staff are continuing to monitor the area for new unauthorised development. Council reiterated its position that the welfare and safety of its residents is its number one priority, and that restricting further development until essential services are in place reflects this position.

23 Feb 2018

The Wyee West Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference Group met again on Thursday 15 February. They received a briefing from specialist Council staff involved in the regulation of on-site sewer management (OSSM) systems.

In summary, this presentation covered:

• Council is responsible for assessing applications for on-site sewer management (OSSM) systems and the ongoing regulation of those systems.
• Standards for OSSM systems have become much more stringent over time (due to greater understanding of potential health and environmental impact of OSSM systems).
• OSSM systems require a large area of land (typically 4000m2) for effective treatment of household effluent.
• Soils in Wyee are not well-suited to assimilation of wastewater, meaning larger areas are generally required in order to ensure no off-site impacts from OSSM systems.
• While modern composting toilets are a space-efficient option, other wastewater streams (kitchen, bathroom and laundry) pose similar environmental and public health risks and still require treatment and disposal.
• The more constrained the site (i.e. poor soils and small lot-size), the more expensive the OSSM system would likely be.
• Pump-out systems are costly to install and require servicing fortnightly at a cost (currently) of $2480 per year.
• For the reasons described above, individual OSSM systems are not a viable solution for servicing the Wyee paper subdivision, which consists of 184 residential-zoned lots with an average lot size of 800m2.

Following this briefing, Council advised it would soon be engaging an ecological consulting firm who will likely commence fieldwork within the paper subdivision in late March. We will also soon appoint geotechnical and archaeological consultants to undertake studies for the area.

These are the first of a number of studies being undertaken over the coming months that will feed into detailed engineering plans for roads and infrastructure. It is this work that will allow us to accurately estimate construction costs.

Our compliance staff are continuing to monitor the area for unauthorised development. It has been pleasing to say that the majority of landowners have complied with Council’s requests and ceased any developments on their properties.

Council reiterated its position that the welfare and safety of its residents is its number one priority.

We look forward to working with all landowners as well as the Reference Group to explore and progress options for the future of the paper subdivision.

08 Dec 2017

The Wyee West Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference Group met for the second time on Thursday 7 December. They reviewed the Paper Subdivisions legislation and highlighted a number of important items to be included in a Development Plan, including:

• Details of subdivision works to be undertaken for the land
• Details of the cost of subdivision works
• Details of costs of preparing the Development Plan
• Details of the proportion of costs to be met by each landowner and the manner in which owners may meet these costs

The Reference Group will meet again in February to discuss potential funding options and how the Paper Subdivisions legislation has been used by Landcom for the Riverstone Scheduled Lands.

After every meeting, Council will upload details and outcomes of the Reference Group so all landowners are kept in the loop.

Council looks forward to working with all landowners as well as the Reference Group to explore progress options for the future of the paper subdivision.

30 Nov 2017

The Wyee West Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference Group met for the first time on Tuesday 28 November. The Group, consisting of six landowners, three Council staff and three Lake Macquarie Councillors – Cr David Belcher, Cr John Gilbert and Cr Nick Jones – spent the evening getting to know each other better and explored how the group will work together over the next 12 or so months.

They discussed the Reference Group’s purpose including to assist in formulating a Development Plan, acting as a conduit between the Council and other landowners, and helping consider the implications for existing paper subdivision residents in the implementation of a Development Plan.

The Reference Group will meet again in early December to learn more about the Paper Subdivisions legislation, before taking a break over Christmas and meeting again in February 2018.

After every meeting, Council will upload details and outcomes of the Reference Group so all landowners are kept in the loop. Stay tuned for another update in the near future where we will introduce group members.

Council looks forward to working with all landowners as well as the Reference Group to explore options for the future of the paper subdivision.