The Hunter Economic Zone is commonly referred to as HEZ, comprising approximately 868 hectares of industrial zoned land so as to facilitate the establishment of major industrial or major employment generating developments within the Cessnock Local Government area. This industrial estate is located to the south of the townships of Weston and Abermain, to the south west of Kurri Kurri and Pelaw Main and east of Cessnock.
Small parts of the estate are also zoned 5(a) Special Uses, 5(b) Special Uses (Railway), 1(a) Rural and 7(b) Environmental Protection (Conservation). The HEZ estate is also affected by some heritage precincts. Refer to Cessnock Local Environmental Plan map for further zoning and heritage precinct information.
The HEZ industrial estate is considered to be unique in that up until recent times speculative subdivision of lands has not been permitted.
Recent large developments that have been approved by Cessnock Council include:
Various infrastructure projects have been completed including a water reservoir, pumping station, Energy Australia electricity substation, roads, cycleways, water and sewer trunk mains, etc.
Cessnock Local Environmental Plan 1989 (Amendment No. 60) – Hunter Employment Zone LEP was gazetted on the 28 March 2002 wherein the subject land was zoned for industrial/employment generating development and conservation purposes. Included within Amendment No. 60 were a series of Clauses relating to development within HEZ.
The approval of the Concept Plan for Precinct 1 by the Minister for Planning is likely to change the focus of future industrial development within the HEZ estate, with developments over the value of $30 million to fall under the provisions of Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act.
Council understands that the proponents are preparing a State Significant Study for the HEZ estate under Part 3A of the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act and in accordance with Director General’s Requirements issued on 24 October 2007.
This section outlines a summary of the current planning controls that should be examined if considering developing within the HEZ estate:
Specific Clauses relevant to HEZ are listed below:
Clause 59 – Hunter Employment Zone – Dwelling houses within Zone No 7 (b)
The most relevant chapter of this DCP is:
This section of the DCP covers prescriptive matters and controls such flora and fauna, heritage, building height, setbacks, landscaping, fencing, signage, vehicular access, loading, parking, drainage, hazards, contamination, waste management, etc.
Other chapters that should be referred to include:
The Environmental Management Strategy for the HEZ is a set of estate management principles and guidelines which complement the site specific aspects of Cessnock LEP and DCP 2006.
Environmental sectors for which specific requirements have been developed include:
The Minister for Planning on 28 April 2009 approved a Concept Plan for Precinct 1 and the WIPS Project Application for Manufacture of Wall & Floor Manufacturing Facility. Precinct 1 comprises 129 hectares of land, described as being part of Lot 2 DP 1109734 and is located within the south western section of this lot to the west of the 7(b) corridor. Refer to the Department of Planning link below for further information in respect to the approval conditions and the indicative subdivision layout.
