Post Date: December 2014

About the Development

Rosewood Estate is a rural-residential estate located in the Moore Creek growth area of Tamworth. Each lot is approximately 2 ha in area. It is the first major development by Tamworth Quality Homes.

Tamworth Regional Council issued development consent in 2010 as the consent authority per the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. The development satisfied all state-based legislation and was in accord with Tamworth Regional Council's growth strategy. Water infrastructure had been extended to the site and other land in the vicinity was being developed for rural-residential development.

Mitchel Hanlon Consulting provided surveying, contract management and project management services to the client.

Box-Gum Woodland 

Perhaps the most interesting apsect of the development was dealing with the Commonwealth's Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

On 27th May 2013, as per the Conditions of Consent, the project was referred to the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water and Communities (DSEWPaC, now Department of the Environment (DoE).

On 26th July 2013, DSEWPaC/DoE determined the development as a “Controlled Action” and identified that the project was required to be assessed by preliminary documentation. Correspondence between Mitchel Hanlon Consulting and the department determined that the determination was largely due to the referral being based on an outdated ecological assessment (approximately 10 years old). Since 2004, the classification of the Box-Gum Critically Endangered Ecological Community (CEEC) has been amended to include derived/residual grasslands (whereas before only woodlands were included). Subsequently the site was required to be re-assessed in the light of current environmental legislation/survey guidelines

In August 2013, Mitchel Hanlon Consulting (MHC) engaged Niche Environment and Heritage (Niche) to re-do the ecological assessment of the site. Niche conducted the preliminary assessment and found that the CEEC was localised to the eastern half of the site only. Discussions with the department enabled the referral to be split which allowed the development to progress on the western side of the site while the eastern side was subject to more vigorous assessment.

At the time of this post, this assessment is ongoing.

This approach allowed the client to finalise the development of 22 lots on the western side of the site and satisfy outstanding sales contracts.  In time, it is hoped the remaining eastern section will be developed in a manner sympathetic to the Box-Gum Ecological Community.