The two proposals lodged by Cessnock and Maitland City Councils to rezone land at the smelter for about 2000 new homes and businesses have progressed to the next phase of investigation.

The Department of Planning and Environment has assessed the planning proposals for the site.

The department determined that, subject to several strict conditions being met and further studies being carried out, the proposals may proceed to the next stage of public exhibition for community feedback.

The Hydro Kurri Kurri Masterplan proposes to amend the local environment plans to create over 160 hectares of industrial land and 127 hectares of residential land, as well as more than 900 hectares zoned for environmental conservation.

Additional residential land at Gillieston Heights is also proposed.

The Department of Planning and Environment has assessed the proposals against state and local planning objectives for the area, including the draft Hunter Regional Plan and Maitland Urban Settlement Strategy, and found they have enough strategic merit to continue to the next stage.

Prior to any public exhibition, further investigation into remediation and creating a flood-free access road will need to be carried out.

The masterplan includes a road that would connect Cliftleigh to Gillieston Heights, and may provide secondary access if Testers Hollow is flooded.

Testers Hollow has been cut off by floodwater four times since 2007.

Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri managing director Richard Brown said the masterplan was designed to connect the proposed residential development to the existing urban areas of Cliftleigh and Gillieston Heights, but the connecting road is not viewed as a major link road.

“Hydro has been developing the planning proposal for the smelter site and buffer zone land over the past two years, prior to the flooding events of 2015,” he said.

“It is not envisaged that any road or roads in the proposed residential area be major link roads between towns, however they could provide a flood-free alternate route during the times that Testers Hollow is flooded, which is of course an additional benefit. 

Mr Brown said expected timeframes for rezoning and development would not see any road infrastructure built in the area for at least five years.

Details of the public exhibition of the planning proposals will be announced on the councils’ websites after the additional work has been completed.