During the public exhibition period for the Morisset Place Strategy, I wrote the following submission to be considered in the final draft of the plan (you can click here to view the stategy on Council’s website).

Morisset Place Strategy Submission
By: Rosmairi Dawson

Dear Integrative Planning Team,
Thank you for the opportunity to submit a submission to the Morisset Place Strategy.
It is always a welcome opportunity to contribute to the future planning of Morisset.
I wish to make this submission in the form of noting priority requirements for planning and infrastructure to support the growth and vision of how Morisset and surrounds will become the emerging major centre that it has been predicted to be since the first major area plan, the Morisset Structure Plan, was proposed and adopted in 2007 and 2008.
As Council is aware, Morisset has been identified as a major growth area in State Government Documentation, the Lower Hunter Regional Strategy, 2006-31, the Greater Newcastle Metropolitan Plan, Hunter Regional Plan 2036 and now the Hunter Regional Plan 2041.
In line with these plan’s we are required to create a Morisset Place Strategy that “… streamlines the process by which land is rezoned to enable more housing, services and jobs, and to help manage biodiversity conservation, flooding and bush fire threats”. I would also like to add that it is local government particularly that it is required to maintain infrastructure and services that will meet OHS (with residence as well as conducting business, being an occupationally relevant) standards, laws and as a major responsibility to be delivered.
Council must consider all aspects of health and safety which includes forward planning for infrastructure.
What is evident from this plan is that many aspects of it ignore the fundamental requirements to protect our environment, health and safety for all residents of Lake Macquarie.

Footpaths/shared pathways and cycleways.
It is clearly known that the connectivity and health benefits along with environmental protection of footpaths and cycleways are fundamental in planning for populations.
It is identifiable that there are many areas of major town and pedestrian routes that lack this vital infrastructure and therefore pose health and safety hazards for residents.
The Morisset district will never have footpaths on every street, let alone guttering and drainage. The city is vast. However, we must see it as our duty to facilitate for residents to travel safely off road to major centres, schools, places of recreation and other meeting places.
The current matrix of waiting for each town centre block in the centre zone having to be developed before that section of footpath can be installed by the relevant developer is entirely unacceptable. This is a serious matter. Health and safety should override financial considerations.

Morisset Town Centre:

Priorities for footpath upgrades and installation: See Page 6 of LMCC Walking, Cycling and Better Streets Strategy
Dual pathways (both sides of the street):

• Yambo Street between Stockton Street and Bridge Street
• Newcastle Street between Stockton Street and Wharf Street.
• Ourimbah Street from Dora Street to Showground
• Dora Street from Wyee Road to Lions Park/Station
• Macquarie Street from Hospital Road to Train Line
• Level footpath Dora Street from Woolworths to Bakehouse Lane (the strong slope of the footpath guides wheeled vehicles towards the gutter and it is very difficult to control a wheelchair).

Morisset Town Centre Hub
Compulsorily purchase 75 and 77 Dora Street so they can be included in the Town Centre Hub development. These properties should be on the Compulsory Acquisition Register. Failure to purchase and include these properties in the proposed Town Centre Hub development will result in an inadequate facility from the day it opens, much like what occurred with the Morisset Multipurpose Centre – it was too small to be fit for purpose from the day it opened.

Morisset Town Park
The closure of Kahibah Street between Newcastle and Wyong Streets has been proposed since the Morisset Structure Plan in 2007. It is an ideal opportunity to create the Town Park development that would include further development of the recreational facilities already existing with an upgraded PCYC and further facilities attached to Bernie Goodwin Oval.
As the former manager and community advocate who helped establish the PCYC, I am aware that the site has approval for a second building and this should be taken advantage of to deliver, at a minimum, two full size multipurpose courts, viewing seating, change rooms, office space, storage, parking plus outdoor facilities such as a remote control car racing track.

Transport and Traffic congestion
It is common knowledge that Morisset main street is like a parking lot at morning and afternoon peak hours and especially when there is freeway closure. Goodness knows what it is going to be like when Cedar Mills becomes operational.
Bypassing Morisset town centre is a requirement to keep traffic flowing through the area and reducing risks of accidents and hazardous situations during heavy traffic periods. A bypass has been flagged since the Morisset Structure Plan 17 years ago.
Possible routes have been investigated and for me, it is apparent, that there is only one option and that option is very expensive to achieve. It would require a great deal of cooperation from multiple government agencies and levels. But it can be done, the land is there. It just requires vision, planning and massive amounts of funding. The proposal is to redirect Dora Street over the rail line at the boundary of the Cedar Mills Development and build a flyover road on Macquarie Street at the same level as the rail tracks with parking and State Rail Depot infrastructure designed to be harboured underneath the road with a roundabout or signalled intersection at Hospital Road and Main Road B53.
While the widening of main road B53 from the freeway to the Dora St/Mandalong Road/Wyee Road/Freemans Drive roundabout will create some traffic relief, the major issues are however through the single lane bottleneck town centre – and removal of all parking through the town centre would devastate the businesses along the main street.

High Speed Rail
Last time I looked, the route travelled from the north, crossed Dora Creek at the bend of Kalang Road and came out right into the new houses on Awaba Street, straight up past the PCYC, across through the Uniting Church, up the unformed Ourimbah Street Route, through the roundabout next to McDonalds on Dora Street and then straight through the Cedar Mills development following the railway line south. What are they going to do? Build a tunnel from Dora Creek to Wyee? Would mine subsistence support that or are we going to have the longest overland bridge along the freeway?

West Mandalong
I am currently sitting on the Mandalong Mine Community Consultative Committee and am aware of the recent Flood Study they have completed on the Mandalong Valley and the impact of mine subsistence and flooding increase from Mandalong Mine.
The Mandalong West zone is a flood plain and the proposal of a “warehousing, logistics and employment lands” is one that would adversely affect the environment. It has been pointed out in the press by Council that any rezoning will require undertaking flooding and bushfire studies which would inform which areas are suitable for development. Future development of the area would be subject to a comprehensive assessment including transport and traffic studies to determine any required upgrades to the road network the same goes for significant vegetation and riparian corridors.
Needless to say, extensive consultation with Centennial Coal is recommended.
Equally, the proposal for intensive agriculture, precision farming and greenhouse hydroponics should be looked at very closely for pollutants that could hit the water table already deeply affected in that area by the Mandalong Mine operations.

Morisset Peninsula
Priority on footpaths on Morisset Peninsula. For the same reasons of occupational, health and safety, residents on Morisset Peninsula experience large gaps in infrastructure as the population increases (see Page 6 of LMCC Walking, Cycling and Better Streets Strategy).
I recently enquired about the shared pathway on Fishery Point Road between Bay Vista Road and Hillcrest and onwards to Sunshine proposed in the Morisset Development Control Plan 2012 to be delivered by 2015. This section of path is vital to ¼ of the peninsula population to access the main amenities on the peninsula – Bonnells Bay Shopping Centre, Bonnells Bay Public School, Bonnells Bay youth centre and skate park. In 2023 there is still no plan to deliver that shared pathway and indeed it has disappeared off all planning maps for future development and access, let alone an Operational and Delivery plan.
Other footpaths that should be planned on an urgent basis include:

• Pearson Street, from Grand Parade to Fishery Point Road.
• Marconi Road from Main Road 217 to Station Street
• Mirrabooka Road from Dandaraga and Hillcrest Road, Mirrabooka to Bay Vista Road, Brightwaters, on Fishery Point Road.

These connections will allow children, cyclists and mobility impaired to access all major amenities on the peninsula.

Mirrabooka Quarry Sports Complex Development
It is evident that despite many years of intention, the Mirrabooka Quarry site has not progressed and that the adjacent land required for access has not had attempt undertaken at negotiating its sale with the NSW Aboriginal land council who own it. That part of the land will be vital to purchase to make any sort of recreational development as planned for more than 20 years be able to come to fruition.
Mirrabooka Quarry was approved for a sporting field, netball courts, bmx track and other amenities in 2005. The purchase or lifting of the native title on that adjacent land must be a priority so that the original planning can be brought forward with any modifications for the benefit of Morisset Peninsula.
Mirrabooka Quarry could be an ideal site to investigate for a state of the art pump track such as the one just delivered at Redhead.

Cooranbong

Cooranbong Shared Pathway from Cooranbong Shops to Victory Street
The approval to re-direct the shared pathway through the college land was a travesty for the local community and access to the path for a major part of the population. The section of Freemans Drive from the local shops to Victory Parade has the school turnoff, five retirement villages and homes of varying levels and at least a third of the Cooranbong residential population who have no access to what should have been a major public amenity, safe travel off road to major community infrastructure in both directions.
The restoration of plans to complete that pathway on the Freemans Drive original route is a major priority.

Dora Creek
Main Road B53 currently has an intersection upgrade planned for Walmsley Street intersection and this will be a welcome improvement for the community.
The area of land adjacent to the station on Minnie Street needs to be paved and made safe for a drop off zone for train passengers.

Morisset Hospital
Morisset Hospital should become a Public University and Teaching hospital campus with some residential development approval to offset cost of creating the most amazing educational and operational precinct in the lower Hunter. This of course is a State matter and I will look forward to having input to further development proposals for that land.
The State Recreation Facility to replace Myuna Bay is a good idea, however, the location that has been chosen on the land does not enjoy the most optimal access to the lake as Myuna Bay did.

Land Clearing
The community is very concerned at the extent of the devastating land clearing for currently approved developments. These land areas are being approved to be cleared within their D.A.’s. However, no responsibility is taken by developers nor the Council with regard to having wildlife rescue on site during the clearing process. Or at the very least leaving some trees, ground cover or other habitat for the wildlife.
It has been noted that the riparian corridors existing for wildlife movement are becoming increasingly cut off in areas approved for development and population of roos and other fauna are being pushed into ever smaller areas. Nesting habitats such as those of the Powerful Owl are being wiped out without note that they nest in those chosen trees for life. The displacement with land clearing has been substantial and devastating for our local wildlife populations.

The Morisset Place Strategy must consider more closely the devastating affects of development on biodiversity, environment pollution, water and flooding behaviours and the principles that are well known should take precedence over development and rezoning.
Thank you again for the opportunity to contribute to future planning of Morisset.
Yours sincerely,
Rosmairi Dawson

Further information can be found at the following links:

Morisset Place Stategy discussion paper engagement summary
https://shape.lakemac.com.au/projects/download/18067/ProjectDocument

Morisset Place Stategy discussion paper
https://shape.lakemac.com.au/projects/download/18071/ProjectDocument

Morisset and South West Growth Area Resilence and Growth Study
https://shape.lakemac.com.au/projects/download/18068/ProjectDocument

Morisset Transport Scoping Study
https://shape.lakemac.com.au/projects/download/18069/ProjectDocument

What is the Morisset Place Strategy

A Place Strategy is a framework to manage the growth of an area. It streamlines the process by which land is rezoned to enable more housing, services and jobs, and to help manage biodiversity conservation, flooding and bush fire threats. A Place Strategy will enable state and local planning requirements to be considered up front for growth areas in and around Morisset, with funding support from the NSW Government.

Decisions on infrastructure investment often lag behind new growth areas and the delivery of more housing. An infrastructure-first, place-based approach to planning requires infrastructure providers, the development industry and government agencies to take a coordinated approach. This collaboration will achieve better outcomes for communities, industry and government.

Place Strategy planning establishes a platform around which the community, state and local government, business and other stakeholders can collaborate in pursuit of an agreed vision and, in turn, attract growth and investment that balances social, economic and environmental outcomes.

Morisset is identified as a regionally significant growth area within the Hunter Regional Plan 2041 and, as such, requires the preparation and implementation of a Place Strategy. 

Morisset is an ideal place for growth with its strategic location and qualities, including direct and easy access to the M1 Motorway, the Main North railway line, infrastructure availability, amenity, land availability, and proximity to the Central Coast, Newcastle/Hunter and Sydney.

Morisset will emerge as a regionally significant mixed-use centre supporting diverse businesses and services, as well as opportunities for more intensive multi-storey commercial, mixed use and residential development. Land release will be staged to optimise infrastructure delivery. Local strategic planning will identify infrastructure needs early, and coordinate transportation improvements and infrastructure provision to support the timely and efficient release of land for development.

Investigations into ecology and stormwater management are required to determine conservation and development potential. Development must be balanced with biodiversity conservation, within the broader context of the identified green corridors. Detailed ecological investigations should focus on:

• the location, nature and conservation value of vegetated lands, including any threatened species listed under State or Commonwealth legislation
• how this land, or parts of it, will complement green corridors
• the location of local ecological corridors, including riparian areas, and links to planned corridors outside the district
• the extent of potential biodiversity losses from development and the need for, and extent of, offsets

It is crucial for the future of our city that the Morisset Place Strategy is invest with the greatest of rigour to ensure the best possible outcome.