With the Hunter set to hit a population of one million in coming years, experts are grappling with how to meet housing, lifestyle and livability expectations in the region. 

Last Thursday (June 22) Newcastle’s Noah’s on the Beach was home to a two-hour luncheon event aimed at tackling the topic. 

Speakers included Real Estate Association senior sales manager Susan Devin, McCloy Group chairman Jeff McCloy, Urban Development Institute of Australia CEO Steven Mann and Home in Place CEO Lyndall Robertshaw. 

While the event began with a brief look at the region’s five-year plan, what followed was a call for connection amongst infrastructure and housing initiatives. 

At present the NSW Regional five-year plan forecasts the Lower Hunter will grow by an additional 21,750 houses (about 4,350 per year). 

Figures show the supply currently sits at 4,100, and in 2022 actual completions were 3,800, falling short approximately 250 each year. 

“We’ve got a brand-new government at an incredibly important time for this industry. Incredibly important time. I think the housing crisis could double either this year or next without strong leadership, without a connected government,” warned UDI boss Steven Mann. 

Transport, water and housing need to be addressed together in any future planning, Mr Mann advised. 

“We’ve been advocating very strongly that the regional transport plan needs to sit beside and act as a companion document to the Hunter Regional Plan,” he said. 

“Unfortunately they don’t. They’re out of sync with each other from a timescale and they don’t talk to each other.” 

Mr Mann, who recently presented NSW Premier Chris Minns with 28 suggested improvements, believes cohesion is now imperative. 

“How did we end up in that position? We’re building all these roads and rail ..[and] they’ve got nothing to do with housing.  

Urban Development Institute CEO Steven Mann

“That’s how disconnected our approaches in government are at the moment. 

“We heard from the former regional transport minister saying that ‘we’re so proud of these roads, we built A to B’. 

“What about the bit in the middle that gets you housing? Same thing with metro rail and the rail pieces that we’re working on.  

“We have to have an integrated approach with transport.”

Mr Manns made a final call to action for the Minns Government.

“The highest priority of the New South Wales government must be by every minister who impacts city shaping and it must be shared by every department to ensure the delivery of new housing is
enabled across all issues.

“It’s a big bold goal if you’re doing roads, if you’re doing hospital, if you’re doing schools.

“It’s all got to do with what you guys enable.

“You guys enabling the shaping of cities and government need to come a lot closer.”

The call for more affordable housing was echoed by REA sales manager Susan Devin, who says buyers are opting for less land in uncertain times.

“When you think about the persistent interest rate hikes that have occurred over the last 12 months or so, they’re really taking their toll on the price growth and it’s really slowing things down,” she said. 

“What we are finding is that the townhouse is like a happy medium. People might go I want to live in the right location but I don’t have enough money perhaps to have the right land size behind me, so the townhouse is that happy medium in the marketplace.”

McCloy Group chairman Jeff McCloy believes regional buyers will always prefer their own space.

“The buyers generally want to raise their family or their grandchildren in a single house with a yard and with amenity of parks and such things. Raising children and family in a highrise is not typically Australian,” he said.

“I don’t think you have to do it in the city but for our regions and all regions a house on a block of dirt, playing cricket in the backyard and other stuff is certainly the preference.

“Yes, the sizes are coming down, we meet the market, we understand the market point and reduce our blocks, but single housing is the preferred option.”

For more property stories:

• Rural homestead in Millers Forest to fetch $4.5million
• What do you know about Raymond Terrace
• Hunter builder wins two HIA awards

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