Minmi residents have called on the state government to overturn the planning approval for a massive 858-lot housing estate on Newcastle's western fringe.
The Hunter Central Coast Regional Planning Panel approved Winten Property Group's residential subdivision at Woodford Street in March. The approval came despite community and City of Newcastle planning staff and councillors raising concerns about the project's social, environmental and infrastructure impacts.
Residents presented Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery with a petition on Wednesday containing 514 printed signatures and more than 300 digital signatures. The petition, to be tabled in parliament in coming weeks, calls on the government to rescind the project's approval and force the developer to make revisions to the project.
It cites the area's poor infrastructure, traffic congestion and adverse environmental impacts as reasons why the government should intervene.
"We are hoping this will make a difference; we are not going to give up the fight," resident Kathy White said.
Although the project has been approved, Winten is unable to develop the site until upgrades to the surrounding road network are completed.
"Anything that slows things down gives us more time and allows us to put more pressure on the government to save this area," Ms White said.
"The planning controls are outdated and don't meet the needs of our current or future community."
"If it's going to be done they need to keep as much bush as possible and have more diverse housing and a lighter footprint on the land."
Residents are also calling on the government to hold a public hearing as part of an Independent Planning Commission appeal against the Department of Planning's suspension of the planning process for an adjacent 26 hectare parcel land at 505 Minmi Road.
It followed an Environment Protection Authority submission relating to the impact of odours, gases and air emissions generated from the Summerhill Waste Management Centre.
"For far too long all decisions pertaining to this now highly controversial rezoning have been made behind closed doors and the public have even been excluded from the list of stakeholders," Brian Purdue said.
"We have appealed to the minister to direct the IPC to hold a public meeting into this key environmental matter and convene this meeting in a public place instead of a virtual electronic meeting."
Wallsend MP Sonia Hornery acknowledged the community's concerns about the Minmi Estate development and said she was committed to working with all stakeholders to minimise the disruption to the community as much as possible.
"I was very pleased when the planning panel made a determination against the 505 Minmi Rd development and hope that more green space can be preserved as a result of this," she said.
"I will lodge this petition on the community's behalf in the parliament and happily raise community concerns with the ministers for planning, environment and Hunter as appropriate."
