After years of working with local community of land owners and moths of lobbying Local and State authorities we have finally achieved a significant success in realizing the vision of Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin. In early December 2022, NSW Department of Planning and Environment has published Hunter Regional Plan 2041. On of the six Planning Priorities for the Coastal District is “Consider historical paper subdivisions” that identifies North Arm Cove as one of the areas where “Further investigation will identify whether options exist that could enable cost effective development”.

This was a result of earlier submission and meetings with Department of Planning’s Regional Office, as well as other bodies (Smart Places, Circular NSW/Australia, Regional Housing Task Force). Hunter Regional Plan 2041 - Consultation Report states that “Several submissions requested paper subdivisions such as North Arm Cove, be identified as future growth areas and actions included in the plan to facilitate development” and that as a result “A planning priority has been added for council to undertake further investigations into the feasibility of developing paper subdivision sites in the Coastal district”.

This is a significant positive development and a gratification for our international team. It also provides a light at the end of decades long tunnel for land owners of North Arm Cove paper subdivision.

We hope that next year will bring further recognition of viability of Griffin’s vision for the future of Australian regional communities. Progress towards creating a master plan for innovative, sustainable, resilient, regenerative community should be a logical next step.