Cliftleigh

C L I F T L E I G H

PRESENTED BY

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Project Overview

Cliftleigh

Cliftleigh is a development of quality residential homes. The suburb of Cliftleigh has plenty of character due to its rural surroundings, but is located within easy reach of the cities of Cessnock, Maitland, and the town of Kurri Kurri – the ideal choice for both family and investors. Cliftleigh is located in the Cessnock LGA. The development undertaken by Thomas Paul Constructions consists of a select number of residential house & land packages. Each home comprises 4 generously sized bedrooms, oversized master suite, ensuite and double garage including remote access. Good sized level home sites – ideal for home building.

Key features

4 bedrooms / 2 bathrooms / double garage

Quality brick construction.

Upgraded front feature door.

2.5 hp split system air conditioner

Gourmet kitchen including stainless steel cook-top, range hood, fan forced under bench oven and stainless steel dishwasher. Laminated kitchen cupboards.

Motorised panel lift garage door.

Stencilcrete driveways, footpaths and patios.

Alfresco outdoor living area.

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Cliftleigh - Location

Area Map Cliftleigh is located in the Cessnock LGA. Cessnock City is located in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales, about 50 kilometres west of Newcastle. Cessnock City is bounded by Maitland city in the north, Newcastle & Lake Macquarie Cities in the east, Wyong shire & Gosford & Hawkesbury Cities in the south & the Singleton Council area in the west.

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The Cessnock District

Cessnock city is a rural & residential area. The city encompasses a total land area of 1,950 square kilometres, of which a large proportion is State Forest & National Park. Most of the rural area is used for grazing, farming, timber-getting & viticulture. The City has two main townships, Cessnock & Kurri Kurri, with much of the population concentrated in a thin urban belt between these. Significant development in Cessnock occurred when coal was

struck in 1892 & several coal mines were established. This

generated extensive land settlement between 1903 & 1923,

with townships established near the pit tops & rail heads of

the coal seam. Townships included Aberdare, Abermain,

Abernethy, Bellbird, Heddon Greta, Kearsley, Kitchener, Kurri

Kurri, Neath, Pelaw Main, Stanford Merthyr & Weston. By 1926

Cessnock had a population of 12,000 increasing to 18,000 by

the 1940‟s.Other than coal mining, Cessnock‟s industries at

this time included dairying, grazing, timber- getting, saw-milling & manufacturing of earthenware pipes & textiles. Substantial development occurred in the post-war years.

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Until the 1960‟s mining was the principal industrial base & source of employment in the Cessnock

area. Changes to the mining industry led to the closure of the vast majority of mines, resulting in the

decline in population in many villages & townships, especially since the 1980‟s. Many areas have undergone a change in character, with rural residential housing developments becoming popular.

There has been a rise in the wine & tourism industry, with many vineyards at Allandale, Mount View,

Pokolbin, & Rothbury as well as small cottages & farms used as weekend retreats. Since 1991 the

population in the city has grown slightly from 44,000 to over 45,000 in 2001. Most of this growth was

mainly in the rural settlements & villages, including Black Hill, Buchanon, Ellalong, Greta, Heddon

Greta, Laguna, Millfield, North Rothbury, Pokolbin, Quorrobolong & Richmond Vale. Major features of the city include Lower Hunter National Park, Watagan National Park, Werekata National Park, Yengo National park, Hunter Institute Of Technology (Cessnock & Kurri Kurri Campuses), Cessnock district Hospital, Cessnock City Centre, Cessnock Racecourse, Koolang Astronomical Observatory, Richmond Vale Railway Museum & over 100 vineyards & wineries based around the Pokolbin area.

Vital Statistics

o Population: 45,204 o Distance in kilometres:

Cessnock – Sydney 151 kms Cessnock - Newcastle 51 kms Cessnock - Maitland 27 kms

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The Hunter Region

The Hunter region of New South Wales is an impressive economic growth story that spans over 200 years, the last ten of which could be described as the most spectacular. With a population of over 610,000, it is the largest regional area in Australia and home to more people than the state of Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory or the Gold Coast. The last decade has seen strong population growth as people relocate to the region from other parts of Australia. Covering an area of 31,000 square kilometres, the Hunter is administered by eleven local government councils centred on the City of Newcastle. The region is a significant contributor to the NSW economy. It has emerged from a largely industrial, coal and wine producing past to become the diverse industrial base, with its rapidly growing services and commercial sectors, that it is today. The Hunter is home to one of Australia's most dynamic communities. A long held ethic of hard work has consistently helped the region capitalize on its wealth of natural resources to deliver growth. More importantly, the Hunter has not shied away from change, displaying a willingness to adapt to the demands of Australia's increasingly diversified economy. One of the region's greatest assets is its huge coal reserves which historically have been the foundation for much of its economic growth. As productivity has increased with the advent of open-cut coal mining, low cost coal has seen the region become one of the State's major electricity generating areas. The Hunter now boasts six coal fired, base-load power stations that supply electricity to the national grid. In turn, the supply of low cost electricity has seen two aluminium smelters make the region one of Australia's leading aluminium producers. As demand from China for coal has grown so too has the Hunter's capacity to fill that market. Today,

Hunter coal represents 82 percent of all coal mined in NSW, of which over 90 million tonnes worth more than $6 billion were exported through the Port of Newcastle - the world's largest tonnage port -

in 2008. With work already started on a third coal loader this will increase to 180 million tonnes by 2013. The Hunter's coal mining industry sustains a range of support industries from manufacturing

to research and education as well as being an important source of job growth. The Hunter Coal Industry has stated that there will be an additional 25,000 direct mining jobs in the Hunter mines in the next 4 years. Manufacturing is another growth industry in the Hunter. Drawing on the skills honed over the 80 years that the BHP steel works were in operation, manufacturing companies in the region have diversified and are gaining markets for their products in Australia and overseas. At the heavy end of the manufacturing spectrum, Newcastle has long been recognized as a leading ship building port. In recent years, this sector has seen the dawn of a new era. Hunter companies are utilizing the latest technologies to build and maintain large naval and cargo ships as well as world-class luxury mega yachts. The defence industry plays a significant part in the regional economy with two major military bases located at Singleton and Williamtown. Singleton Army Barracks is the main training facility for the Royal Australian Infantry Corp while the Royal Australian Air Force Base at Williamtown is the operational home for the F/A18 and BAE Hawk 127 Lead-in Fighter as well as other support units. Both facilities have been functioning in the region since World War II and have come to depend upon the region for support services. This has led to a Defence Supply

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culture, with many businesses and manufacturers developing high technology capabilities for the military as a whole. Education and research are critical in the Hunter's competitive outlook. Leading the way are the University of Newcastle; a dynamic, research intensive university ranked in Australia's top 10, and the Hunter Institute of Technology (TAFE), which has campuses throughout the region. Both institutions work closely with business to enhance the region's skill base. Newcastle University's research activities are highly respected throughout Australia and the world. At the forefront of these activities is the Hunter Medical Research Institute which is renowned for its ground breaking research. The Hunter Valley Research Foundation, Australia's oldest regional research organisation, also makes a vital contribution to the region's development, primarily dealing with local economic, social, demographic, environmental and quality of life issues. Not to be overlooked, the Hunter has a diverse portfolio of tourism assets. These extend from dolphin and whale watching in Port Stephens to bushwalking in the World Heritage listed Barrington Tops and exploring one of the oldest and most famous wine growing regions in Australia. National parks and extensive waterways add a further dimension to a tourism industry that sees 6.3 million people visiting the region each year.

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The region is also famous for its thriving viticulture industry based in the Hunter Valley. In 2003-04 almost 4,500 hectares of grapevines were planted producing 28,000 tonnes of grapes. Regional wine sales totalled almost $203 million in the same period, of which $38 million were from export. The wine industry and tourism industry that complements it are significant contributors to the regional economy. The area known as the Upper Hunter has attracted some of the world's richest horse breeders, bringing with them substantial capital investment. Centred on Scone, the Hunter's equine industry produces 70 percent of Australia's thoroughbred foals, making it the nation's key equine region. The Hunter has a highly efficient transport network, incorporating Australia's fastest growing regional airport, Newcastle Airport at Williamtown. In December 2005, Newcastle Airport Limited completed an $8.25 million expansion of their passenger terminal and in 2006 expanded their car parking facilities to accommodate a fast growing market. As a result passenger numbers have soared from 214,000 in 2003 to over 1 million in 2010. Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar offer scheduled services from Newcastle to the major capitals and regional destinations. The airport precinct includes the Royal Australian Air Force Base Williamtown, Jetstar National Heavy Maintenance Base and BAE Systems Australia Military Support facility. An aerospace centre is also proposed. The continuing growth of the Hunter's diverse industry base has resulted in an expanding residential population. This has created new reasonably priced residential housing estates with the most notable growth areas being Maitland, Singleton and Muswellbrook.

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The Hunter Economic Zone On 21st of March 2002, the NSW Government

announced the $2 billion employment project

in the Hunter region, rezoning industrial, 871

hectares of a total of 3200 hectares of land,

which makes up the Hunter Economic Zone.

The HEZ property, which has been integral in

many ways in the history of the region, is

substantial to Kurri Kurri and its future. HEZ

now provides Australia largest contiguous

industrial zone, which will supply NSW for the

first time with the ability to offer a home to large scale industrial occupiers, previously forced to go to other states or overseas. The Hunter's natural resources, industrial workforce, transport, services and infrastructure combine with an outstanding lifestyle to offer the perfect working and living environment. The addition of HEZ to this already outstanding mix will serve to further attract major national and international industries and ensure the creation of new opportunities for this rapidly expanding, vibrant region. The HEZ is ideally located to take advantage of the F3 to Branxton Link road, which has been named the „Hunter Expressway‟, due for completion in 2013. HEZ Fast Facts + 900 ha of zoned developable land + 2300 ha of surrounding rural/environmental buffer lands + Australia's largest contiguous industrial zone + Fully serviced by road, rail, power, gas, sewerage, water and Powertel cable + Existing industrially-trained, 24 hour culture workforce + One hour north of Sydney + 20 minutes West of Newcastle and Australia's longest tonnage port + NSW Government and Cessnock City Council assistance available to incoming users + Sites from 5 to 140 ha + Highly competitive pricing structure + Fully developed "turnkey" facilities available to leases + Stage One-encompassing 300 ha - available now

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Major Industries

Mining The Hunter region produces approximately one-third of Australia‟s aluminium from plants at Tomago and Kurri Kurri. The Hunter Region, because of its large and accessible black coal deposits, is also the State‟s major producer of electric power. The major raw material used by the smelters is alumina, which is processed from bauxite. Presently more than 710,000 tonnes of aluminium were produced in the Region: 530,000+ tonnes at Tomago and 180,000+ tonnes at Kurri Kurri. This output constituted

one third of total Australian production. Tomago Aluminium

Tomago aluminium smelter is the Region‟s largest, and the second largest in Australia, with a capacity of more than 530,000 tonnes per year. The plant is located in an industrial area at Tomago, 13 km north of Newcastle, adjacent to the Hunter River. Tomago aluminium generates approximately $800 million per year in export revenue for Australia. Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri Pty Ltd

The other smelter is operated by Hydro Aluminium Kurri Kurri Pty Ltd, west of Newcastle. This plant has been operating since 1967, and has the capacity to produce more than 180,000 tonnes of aluminium annually. About 80 per cent of the plant‟s output is exported to North America, Japan and other Asian countries. One Steel

One Steel was listed on the Australian

Stock Exchange in October 2000. The

company was created after the „spin-off‟

of BHP‟s Long Products Division by

combining eight, historically diverse, yet

related businesses to form a vertically

integrated mining, steel manufacturing,

and steel and metal products distribution

company. The company has four key Components:

1. One Steel distribution

2. One steel Market Mills

3. One Steel Whyalla Steelworks

4. Steel and Tube Holdings

Approximately 1.5 million tonnes of steel products are produced annually from these operations by around 1,800 employees. Distribution businesses in the Newcastle Region are One Steel Metaland at Mayfield; One Steel and Tube at Wallsend; One Steel Piping Systems at Wallsend; and One Steel Reinforcing at Bennett‟s Green.

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About $1 billion in revenue is generated from One Steel‟s Newcastle businesses annually. A total of $65 million has been invested over the last 3 years, and approximately $ 300 million per annum is spent in the local community. Coal Mining The Hunter Valley Region generates 36 per cent of Australia‟s coal exports and directly employs 9,500 people, with more employed indirectly in support activities such as rail and port operations. Continued growth of the coal industry in NSW is predicated largely on continued growth of coal exports, particularly thermal coal from the Hunter Valley for expanding Asian markets. Coal production accounts for over 75 % of the total value of NSW mineral production.

Coal and Allied

After 150 years in the Hunter Valley Region of NSW,

Coal and Allied is one of the major coal producers in

the region, employing approximately 1900 people

across three operations. The company is managed by

Rio Tinto Coal Australia. Collectively, the current

mining operation generates an output of around 30

million tonnes per annum. The Coal and Allied operations in the Hunter Valley include:

Bengalla: Located 4 kilometres west of Muswellbrook. Employs 282 people. Production of 5.3 mtpa.

Mount Thorley / Warkworth: In 2001 Coal and

Allied purchased an interest in the Warkworth mine adjacent to its existing Mount Thorley operations. This purchase provided the opportunity to integrate the two operations and improve the efficiency of both operations. Located 15 kilometres south west of Singleton. Employs 710 people. Production at Mount Thorley: 3.00 mtpa. Production at Warkworth: 5.40 mtpa.

Hunter Valley operations: an amalgamation of several previously independent mines. Located 24 kilometres north of Singleton. Employs 747 people. Production of 10.10 mtpa.

Hunter Valley Energy Coal

Mt Arthur Coal is 100% owned by BHP Billiton. The mine is located approximately five kilometres south west of Muswellbrook, and employs around 525 people. Coal from the mine is either shipped to export markets from the Port of Newcastle or is sold to domestic power utilities in New South Wales. The Mt Arthur Coal mine supplies thermal coal for both export and domestic markets. Due to a recent US $411 million expansion, full production can reach 20 mtpa. In January 2008, BHP Billiton approved construction of a third coal terminal in Newcastle in Kooragang Island, a capital investment worth $390 million. The new terminal is expected to boost Australia‟s economy by $1.5 billion annually, lift exports by $1 billion and generate 500 jobs locally.

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Wine

There are about 120 wineries and

cellar doors in the Hunter Valley and no other wine region in Australia

comes even remotely close to this. Most of these are boutique operations,

producing 500 tonnes or less.

There are approximately 3500ha of vines in the Hunter today and an annual crush of 35,678 tonnes. Built on the solid foundations of Semillon

and shiraz, the wine range is expanding, with excellent Verdelho and Chardonnay and, more recently, Chambourcin, a variety that has had only a limited following to date. The wines reflect the temperate climate, healthy rains and fertile soils, which are set below the dramatic backdrop of the Brokenback Ranges. It's the cellar door experience, of course, that brings people to the Hunter. Part of the fun is discovering an excellent drop that you can't buy just anywhere. And, with its myriad boutique producers, this is the Hunter's ace card: there's nothing like tasting a wine on the site where the wine was made and with the person who made it. Hunter Valley Wine Country sees over 1.5 million visitors per year to the region. Wine grape Imports and crush In 2001/2002 approximately 57% of grapes used to manufacture wine in the Hunter were grown in the Hunter (35,000 tonnes crushed), while 43% were imported. About 33% of all grapes crushed in the Region were from the winemakers' own properties, and 24% were purchased from other properties in the Hunter. Proportionally more red grapes were imported: 58% compared with 34% off the white. A characteristic of the Hunter wine industry is that of a high proportion of relatively small properties which grow grapes for direct sale to larger winemaking establishments, or which contract the services of those establishments to make wine on behalf of the smaller properties which would then carry their own labels. The total crush of the Region was estimated by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation to be 35,768 tonnes in 2003/2004. Wine Production It is estimated by the Hunter Valley Research foundation that in 2003/2004 approximately 25.4 million litres of wine were produced in the Hunter: 12.9 million litres of white, 9 million litres of red, and 3.4 million litres of other wine. About 93% of total production was of still white and red table wines. The wine yield estimates of grape crush and wine production is around 667 litres per tonne. White wine production in the Hunter in 2003-4 included more than 5.6 million litres of Chardonnay, 3.1 million litres of Semillon and 1.7 million litres of Verdelho. Red wine production included about 4.7 million litres of Shiraz, 2.3 million litres of Cabernet Sauvignon and more than 648,000 litres of Merlot.

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Wine Sales

Sales of Hunter wines in 2003-4 are estimated by the Hunter Valley Research Foundation at 24.3 million litres, valued at approximately $203 million. In the domestic market approximately 15.4 million litres were sold for around $147 million, while about 5.7 million litres were exported at a value of more than $37.8 million. Domestic and export sales of bottled white wines totalled about 12.4 million litres ($105.5 million), and total sales of bottled red wines were approximately 8.7 million litres ($79.6 million). Hunter wine exports were mainly shipped to countries in Europe (48%), followed by the USA (26%), while Asian countries purchased 23% of all exports. According to The Australian Bureau of Statistics there has been steady growth in the quantity of

exports of Australian produced wine over the last fifteen years. In 1990-91, 54.2 million litres of wine

were exported. Exports grew rapidly to over 100 million litres in 1992-93 and between 1998-99 and

1999-2000 grew 41.8% to reach 284.9 million litres. Over the next three years there were rises of 18.7%, 23.7% and 24.0% respectively. Wine exports increased 12.7% in 2003-04 to 584.3 million litres

and then rose 14.6% in 2004-05 to 669.7 million litres. Wine exports continued to rise in 2005-06,

reaching 722.0 million litres, a 7.8% increase on 2004-05. (Sourced ABS website 8504.0 4/10/06) Australia's Major Markets Australia now exports approximately 47% of wines internationally. The major markets being the United Kingdom (23%), the United States of America (9%) and New Zealand (3%) followed closely by Canada, Germany and the Netherlands.

Equine Industry The Hunter Valleys equine industry produces some 70% of Australia‟s thoroughbred foals, generating $100 million in yearling sales annually. The area is acknowledged as the second largest thoroughbred nursery in the world behind Kentucky, USA and has attracted some of international racings leading breeders to establish studs with substantial investment. This has led to the establishment of world-class infrastructure including modern training and racing complexes. Scone is the home of the Hunter Valley Equine Research Centre and the valley also holds one of the largest specialist veterinary hospital complexes in Australia. The 65 studs in the Hunter Valley, including Emirates Park, Coolmore Stud and Widden Stud, directly employ approximately 900 staff and draw on many support services including veterinary, feed, farrier, fuel, transport and fertilizers.

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Power Generation The Hunter‟s power generation industry employs approximately 2,200 people. It is a major contributor to meeting the electricity needs of NSW, with 5 major coal-fired power stations generating the cheapest electricity in Australia. It is this that has attracted manufacturing industry to the region, including aluminium producers. As well as being a leader in power generation, the Hunter leads the way in innovative energy production. Built in 2001, the Redbank Power Station near Singleton, is the first Australian power station designed and built to use beneficiated, watered coal tailings as the primary fuel. The nearby Warkworth Coal Mine, supplies Redbank with the tailings. The township of Scone, just 20 minutes north of Muswellbrook, is the site for the planned Kyoto

Energy Park which will produce enough energy from combined wind, solar & hydro sources to power all homes in the greater Hunter Valley plus power for industry. The facility will comprise electricity

creating eco-generating devices (such as wind turbines, solar photo-voltaic cells, solar-thermal

plant, closed loop small hydro & others). It is hoped that this facility will create energy sufficient to

power all the residences & many businesses in the greater Hunter Valley, & much of the Newcastle

area, providing ALL residents the opportunity of using green & renewable energy. With just one wind

turbine, the Energy Park will create annually a similar amount of power to that used annually in

Scone The Kyoto Energy Park on this site has been in planning for many years. In fact, the first work commenced over 10 years ago. Solid

research started in

mid 1998 & has now

provided significant

confidence; this is a

pressing and

important project

deserving the

support of the

Scone community, NSW & Australia as a whole. The first phase in the formal approval process started in 2005 with a request for the Upper Hunter Shire Council to amend The Scone Local Environment Plan to define eco-generating works in the LEP. The amendment to the LEP has gone through every single stage of approval including gazettal by the Minister for Planning.

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Population and demography

Hunter Region Over the last 10 years, the population has increased by 8.2% (or 47,611 people) in the Hunter Councils Region, (from 580,594 in 1996, to 628,205 in 2006). Most of this growth has been in the City of Lake Macquarie, the Port Stephens Council area, Maitland City, the City of Newcastle and the Great Lakes Council area.

The regions population is expected to reach 730,000 by the year 2026.

Maitland council predicts that Maitland‟s population will increase by 70% over the next few years.

More than 83% of the Hunter‟s population reside in the Lower Hunter LGAs.

The Lower Hunter is the 6th

largest urban area in Australia. It has a larger population than Canberra-Queanbeyan, Wollongong, Hobart and Darwin urban areas, and is the largest non-capital urban area in Australia.

According to the 2006 Census, population growth for Lower Hunter averaged 1.00 per cent per annum.

The Hunter Valley Research foundation predicts that the population of the Hunter region will reach 730,000 by 2026. This population growth is in part anticipated due to continuing improvements in road and rail infrastructure, which enables people to commute further afield.

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Employment

The Workforce Employment in the region since 1996 to 2006 has shown a continuing growth trend with the number of people employed rising from 220,000 to 286,000. At the same time unemployment is lower than the state average. The Hunter region has a ling history of manufacturing, particularly in general engineering and ship building, and successfully exports manufactured products throughout the world. The availability of labour in the Hunter is enhanced by and excellent road, rail and public transport network which gives employers access to a very large labour pool. Another area of economic growth in the Hunter is in knowledge-based industries. The University of Newcastle and the Hunter TAFE work closely with regional employers to design courses that meet modern business and industry needs.

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Site Plan

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Rental Appraisal

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Inclusions

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Future Growth

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Distance to essential services

Cliftleigh Estate

From Cliftleigh ŶŶ Kurri Kurri Primary School 5.0 km

Pelaw Main Primary School 6.3 km

Weston Primary School 7.2 km

Kurri Kurri High School 4.3 km

Hunter Inst. Of TAFE (Kurri Kurri) 5.2 km

Kurri Kurri District Hospital 6.2 km

Kurri Kurri Retail centre / CBD 4.5 km

Cessnock Council 18 km

Kurri Kurri Library 5.5 km

Kurri Kurri Post Office 4.4 km

Heddon Greta Reserve 1.5 km

HEZ Industrial Estate 7.0 km

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Appendix

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Map of Transport Infrastructure

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Travel times

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The Hunter Expressway – F3 to Branxton

Link Road

The Hunter Region was a big winner in the 2009 Federal Budget with an announcement that promises nearly $1.65 billion for the F3 to Branxton Link road, which has been named the „Hunter Expressway‟. This has been touted as one of the major nation-building projects in this year‟s budget. The Federal Government will invest $1.45 billion and the NSW Government will invest $200 million in this important project. This is part of the Federal Government‟s $22 billion infrastructure investment in the 2009 -2010 budget. The Hunter Expressway is included in the Australian Government‟s AusLink National Land Transport Plan. This new link road would provide about 40km of dual carriageway, separated by a median or barrier, with interchanges a the F3 Freeway, Buchanan, Kurri Kurri, Loxford, Allandale and Branxton. The speed limit would be 110 km/h. Construction will occur between 2010 and 2013 and support up to 800 direct local jobs, boosting economic activity in the Hunter region. Benefits of the F3 to Branxton link:

Cut travel times between Newcastle and the Hunter by 28 minutes

Relieve congestion between Newcastle and the town of Thornton, Maitland and Rutherford with forecast reductions in traffic of 15,000 to 30,000 vehicles per day from their level of 60,000 vehicles now.

Support the growing Hunter Region which is forecast to grow around 4 per cent a year.

Meet the growing freight task of the region which is forecast to increase by 30 per cent in the coming years.

It would improve the efficiency of the AusLink National Network between Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane.

It would provide a more direct and efficient route for the movement of freight between the Upper Hunter and the Port of Newcastle.

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$4.5 billion Solar Energy Plant The Hunter Valley is likely to play a leading role in Prime Minister Kevin Rudd‟s $4.2 billion plan to build the world‟s biggest solar power generator. Mr Rudd and Environment Minister Peter Garrett were on site at Lidell Power Station at Muswellbrook

on 17th

May 2009 to promote a range of renewable power and clean coal programmes outlined in the 2009 / 2010 Federal Budget. As well as a coal-fired power station, Liddell is home to a “demonstration scale” solar plan that Mr Rudd described as a “very good” example of what the Government hoped to achieve. The Federal Government intends spending $2.45 billion on clean coal technology, $1.6 billion on solar power and $456 million on other renewable technologies in a range of green energy schemes. The clean coal money is over 9 years and the solar funds over 6 years, with the private sector contributing $2 for every $1 of taxpayer money. Under the new Solar Flagships programme, the Government would spend $1.4 billion ($4.2 billion when the private sector funding is included) to develop as many as four solar generators on the national electricity grid. A Government spokesperson said that Hunter Valley, with its coal-fired power stations and CSIRO energy research centre at Steel River, Mayfield, was ideally placed to contribute to the solar research scheme. Mr. Rudd said the Government hoped to build “the world‟s biggest solar power generating plant, three times bigger than that which currently exists in California”.

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Huntlee Town Plan

Following several years of consultation and the contribution of a multi-disciplined team of expert consultants, the Concept Plan for Huntlee was lodged with the Department of Planning on Friday

26th

October 2007.

Huntlee will be the first new town in the Hunter for over 50 years and has a significant role in supporting the key objectives of the State Government‟s Lower Hunter Regional Strategy 2006.

The concept plan proposes five distinct villages totalling 7200 residential lots, a 160 hectare Town Centre and also 300 large residential lots. The strength of the plan lies in the retention of existing ridgelines and valleys across the site promoting cycling and walking, with biodiversity retention being a key driver. Over 850 hectares of conservation land is being dedicated as National Park.

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Concept Plan - Huntlee

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