Wyee Paper Subdivision

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The Wyee Paper Subdivision consists of 199 residential lots that are owned by more than 140 landowners.

Over the last few years, Council has spent a significant amount of time engaging with landowners and residents, progressing a range of site investigations, and has identified, designed, and costed the infrastructure required to support future residential development of the paper subdivision. The delivery of this infrastructure and essential services is required before development can be approved and the required infrastructure was estimated to cost about $25 million in 2021.

The funding and delivery of infrastructure and essential services, as well as other matters associated with the paper subdivision, creates a very complex situation that Council is not able to resolve on its own. As a result, Council is focussed on lobbying the State and Federal Governments for funding and to identify a delivery agency to be responsible for the construction of infrastructure and essential services and to assist in resolving other matters associated with the paper subdivision. This is likely to remain the focus of Council activity for the next few years.

Meetings of the Wyee Paper Subdivision Reference Committee will not be held and there will be no regular updates to landowners and residents unless there is noteworthy advocacy progress.

Council will also continue to manage ongoing issues associated with the paper subdivision such as managing unauthorised development and undertaking compliance activities, as well as mitigating bushfire hazards, and other hazards.

The Wyee Paper Subdivision consists of 199 residential lots that are owned by more than 140 landowners.

Over the last few years, Council has spent a significant amount of time engaging with landowners and residents, progressing a range of site investigations, and has identified, designed, and costed the infrastructure required to support future residential development of the paper subdivision. The delivery of this infrastructure and essential services is required before development can be approved and the required infrastructure was estimated to cost about $25 million in 2021.

The funding and delivery of infrastructure and essential services, as well as other matters associated with the paper subdivision, creates a very complex situation that Council is not able to resolve on its own. As a result, Council is focussed on lobbying the State and Federal Governments for funding and to identify a delivery agency to be responsible for the construction of infrastructure and essential services and to assist in resolving other matters associated with the paper subdivision. This is likely to remain the focus of Council activity for the next few years.

Meetings of the Wyee Paper Subdivision Reference Committee will not be held and there will be no regular updates to landowners and residents unless there is noteworthy advocacy progress.

Council will also continue to manage ongoing issues associated with the paper subdivision such as managing unauthorised development and undertaking compliance activities, as well as mitigating bushfire hazards, and other hazards.

  • Checking landowner details

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    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.


  • Highlights from meeting 16 of the Wyee West Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference Group – 6 May 2021

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    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.


  • Join us for a drop-in session every Thursday

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    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

  • Highlights from the 8 April landowner information session

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    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].

  • Highlights from meeting 15 of the Wyee West Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference Group – 4 March 2021

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    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.


  • Highlights from meeting 14 of the Wyee West Paper Subdivision Development Plan Reference group – 4 February 2021

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    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].

  • Road maintenance scheduled for Tulkaba and Karakunba Roads

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    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.

  • December 2020 update

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    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.


  • November 2020 update

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    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

  • Update on road works

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    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

Page last updated: 15 Mar 2024, 11:12 AM