The Myall Koala and Environmental Support Group have joined with Total Environmental Centre, the Regional Alliance for Sustainable Planning and environmental groups from Clarence to Port Stephens in saying the strategy is a ‘land grab’. The draft Mid North Coast Regional Strategy estimates that over the next 25 years an additional 58,400 new homes will be required across the Mid North Coast.

The maps on exhibition provide for the release of 70,000 lots along the Mid North Coast.

“Reasonable additional lots have been placed into the draft to cater for any future shifts in population and employment growth,” a spokesperson from the department of planning said.

North Arm Cove has been placed on the map as an area to be developed in the future years.

“While many of the areas identified are eminently suited to further development, others involve environmentally sensitive lands of the type that the draft recognised as worthy of conservation,” Myall Koala and Environmental Support Group president Kevin Haskew said.

North Arm Cove is one such area.

“The site has been included on the draft because of potentially significant proposed environmental offsets associated with an adjacent proposal,” a spokesperson from the department of planning said.

The department recognises the proposal is problematic and has issues such as environmental sensitivity and lack of infrastructure including curb and guttered roadways, town water and sewerage. If the development plans for North Arm Cove go ahead it will result in around 5000 lots being developed at the site.

“In view of the adequacy of unconstrained and lightly constrained land within our region to satisfy the population growth projects, we call upon the minister to delete North Arm Cove and other such sensitive sites from the strategy,” Mr Haskew said.