Lower Hunter strategic assessment

Urban development is increasing in the Lower Hunter (NSW) region, an important area for its environment, community and economy. Regional sustainability planning, combined with a strategic assessment, helps to protect the environment and improve the development process. Strategic assessments let us consider impacts to protected matters on a broad scale. Projects or activities covered by an approved strategic assessment do not need individual approval.

Strategic assessments are a collaboration between the Australian Government and an assessment partner. This collaboration allows for a big-picture approach to safeguarding protected matters from the impacts of development over a long time.

The Lower Hunter (NSW) strategic assessment on this page is inactive. This means the Environment minister signed an agreement, but the Australian Government no longer anticipates receiving further documents to progress the strategic assessment.

The partner has no obligation to finalise the strategic assessment requirements. They may choose not to continue to seek approval for their development at any time.

Overview

In 2012, at the time of this strategic assessment agreement, the Lower Hunter region was Australia's 6th-largest urban area. As lifestyle and job opportunities attracted more people, the area continued to grow. The region also had significant natural assets that needed protecting. This included habitats for the swift parrot and regent honeyeater.

The Australian and NSW governments agreed to undertake regional sustainability planning and a strategic assessment of the Lower Hunter region. Regional sustainability planning is a collaboration between all levels of government. It considers:

economic prosperity
liveable communities
environmental sustainability.

Getting this planning right would help to give businesses and communities more certainty. It would also help to protect the environment.

The Lower Hunter regional sustainability planning process had 2 stages.

First, the Australian and NSW governments worked together to identify key knowledge gaps and scientific research to aid planning for the region. This work then also informed the NSW government review of the:

Lower Hunter regional strategy
Lower Hunter regional conservation plan.

The second stage of the process was a strategic assessment of proposed urban development and related infrastructure corridors in the Lower Hunter region. The strategic assessment would be completed according to section 146 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

With a focus on protecting the environment, the assessment will look at broad environmental, social and economic sustainability within the local government areas (see Figure 1) of:

Newcastle
Maitland
Cessnock
Lake Macquarie
Port Stephens.

Figure 1. Map of Lower Hunter region

While the strategic assessment itself is now inactive, the assessment process involved conducting several valuable research projects. Links to reports from these projects appear in the 'Research projects' section.

Strategic assessment agreement

The strategic assessment agreement was signed on 14 August 2012.

The agreement describes the process for the assessment and the requirements under national environmental law.

Assessment agreement (PDF 3.3MB).

If you have difficulty accessing this file, visit web accessibility for assistance.

Terms of reference

The terms of reference for a strategic assessment detail how the strategic assessment partner is to assess the impacts of their proposed development activities.

The NSW Government made the draft terms of reference available for public comment from 1 July to 31 July 2013.

Read the terms of reference and other related documents on the NSW Government's Lower Hunter Strategic Assessment web page.