Kings Hill Urban Release Area

Kings Hill Urban Release Area

The Kings Hill Urban Release Area (KHURA) is in the Port Stephens LGA, 8km north of Raymond Terrace. To give you an idea of scale, the map below spans an area between Six Mile Rd and Newline Rd and has a border with the Pacific Highway.

The land area is over 800ha and the plan is for around 3,500 new dwellings to be constructed here. Plans also include a small town centre with retail and professional services, a highway service centre for vehicles, tourist activities,  school, hotel and public open space. According to the  KHURA economic benefit assessment “the purpose of the development is to provide a vibrant community that promotes a healthy lifestyle and is attractive to both residents with its access to jobs and opportunity as well as tourists/visitors through its natural beauty.”

There are serious concerns about the scale of the current and planned removal of essential habitat for the endangered koala and an abundance of other species. Koala Koalition EcoNetwork Port Stephens strongly supports the view that Port Stephens Council and the NSW State Government must realise that destruction of koala habitat is inconsistent with saving koalas in the wild and increases the risk of koalas being extinct in New South Wales by 2050.

In 2021, the Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel referred the Kings Hill Concept Development Application (DA) to NSW Environment, Energy and Science for further assessment.

Koala Koalition convenor, Carmel Northwood said that “While the concept plan shows a large area set aside for ‘environmental conservation’, it relies on an unproven ‘enrichment strategy’ to replace good quality wildlife habitat, which will disappear under concrete. The plans to clear the development site in stages, in the hope that koalas will move to the enriched conservation areas, will likely result in chronic stress for the koalas which can impact their disease resistance, fertility and breeding success.”

In 2022, the koala was finally declared endangered in NSW –  but will this listing save them?

An alliance of local organisations, led by Voice of Wallalong and Woodville, Koala Koalition and EcoNetwork, proposed that the Federal and State Governments combine resources to ensure Kings Hill land is protected in perpetuity as a conservation area/extension of National Park estate. This proposal did not find any traction. 

After the Concept Plan for Kings Hill Urban Release Area (KHURA) was refused in February 2022 by the HCC JRPP, the developer lodged an appeal with the NSW Land and Environment Court.  EcoNetwork groups, among others, presented at the hearing in February 2023.  In August 2023, Commissioner Bish refused the appeal primarily because “the potential for significance of effect to native fauna; insufficient certainty on the provision of designated State significant infrastructure; likelihood of environmental impact; complex and disorderly development seeking to overcome potential adverse impacts; site not demonstrated as suitable for proposed (and future) development; and not in the public interest.”

Kingshill Development No 1 Pty Ltd and Kingshill No 2 Pty Ltd v Port Stephens Council and Hunter and Central Coast Regional Planning Panel – NSW Caselaw. 

NSW LEC Commissioner Bish’s decision is being appealed again by KHD, on a matter of process.  The hearing was to be held 27-29/5/24, Case No 2023/00299740.  No decision has been divulged as yet.

In the meantime, three separate Development Applications have been proposed to Port Stephens Council that represent Precincts 6, 7 and 8 (Monarchs Rise) of the Kings Hill Urban Release Area (KHURA).  We were aghast that this could happen while the appeal was in progress, but Council assured us they had no option but to consider these applications.  Once again separate submissions were made by EcoNetwork groups and members of the public.  Precinct 8, also called Monarchs Rise was approved by Council on 8 July 2024

The King’s Hill debate is far from over.

Here are some of our media releases and submissions to date, including the latest ones addressing concerns about Precincts 6 and 7: