Recently, Nathan Walsh from Presence Projects spent the day at the UDIA NSW Hunter Property and Infrastructure Forum in Newcastle, hearing directly from the people shaping our region’s future. A room full of planners, developers, policy makers and advisors, the message was clear: we are not short on demand or ambition. What is holding us back are the outdated systems still in place.
Here’s a summary of the key highlights from Nathan:
“The day kicked off with the Hon. Jenny Aitchison MP, who made a strong case that transport planning must lead development, not follow it. It is a conversation the industry has been pushing for years, and hearing it echoed from government was a positive sign.
The tone shifted quickly to the realities on the ground, with Hilton Grugeon calling out the broken contributions system as one of the key blockers to housing supply. He was not alone. Speaker after speaker pointed to red tape and slow processes, not lack of land or community support, as the biggest handbrakes.
Newcastle’s new CBD
One of the headline moments came from Valentina Misevska, CEO of the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation, who confirmed that Honeysuckle HQ will become Newcastle’s new CBD. A preferred developer will be announced by the end of the year.
It is a city-shaping move that has the potential to reposition the harbour precinct and anchor future growth.
Infill development was a clear standout
Chris Ferreira from Urban Property Group and Florian Caillon from Thirdi Group both highlighted the opportunity in Wickham and the East End.
These are well located, connected, clean sites that are far easier to bring to market than anything in Sydney.
With existing infrastructure in place and fewer planning headaches, these areas are set to lead the next wave of urban growth.
Greenfield developers had a different tone
Tim Goldacre, Danny Boubli and Shane Boslem all agreed that the fundamentals are strong. Demand is there, but high upfront costs, biodiversity delays and a slow approvals process are making it harder to deliver.
Projects that should be moving are stuck in limbo. The message was clear: greenfield remains essential, but system reform is urgent.
Ready to grow
Maree Kilroy from Oxford Economics added valuable context, confirming that the Hunter’s population and economic output now support major expansion. With jobs growing in health, defence, energy and education, the region has the resilience and the demand to scale quickly.
What it needs is responsive systems and aligned infrastructure planning to unlock it.
And then there is high speed rail. If it lands, Newcastle changes overnight. Commute times collapse, buyer demand surges, and the region becomes a true extension of the Sydney metro market. It is the silver bullet, but only if planning and delivery keep up.
My final takeaway…
Newcastle and the Hunter are not waiting to grow. They are ready. The opportunity is here. But unlocking it will take real alignment between industry and government, and systems built for the pace we are now operating at.
If you would like to explore how this impacts your next project or acquisition, let us know. Now is the time to act.
