THE North Arm Cove Rate Payers Association (NACRPA) are a group of landowners in North Arm Cove whose land is currently under a paper subdivision status.

Creating the North Arm Cove Initiative, a revisitation on the plans of Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin for the North Arm Cove paper subdivisions, the association has the goal of preserving and developing North Arm Cove as part of Australia’s urban heritage, and building a sustainable and resilient community in the area fit for the 21st century.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

Dejan Simovic, an architect and a member of NACRPA, believes that a sustainable, developed future can be on the cards for North Arm Cove.

“North Arm Cove Initiative has assembled a professional team of international experts on smart, sustainable, net-zero, innovative development and is proposing the North Arm Cove project for State Government funding.

“We are proposing a new approach to planning and community involvement, in order to avoid the influence of big developers a ‘citizen’s jury’ is already implemented in resolving planning issues,” Mr Simovic said.

With the changes to government and ministerial roles in late 2021, the Greater Sydney Commission has developed a plan to deal with the mega-region of six cities from Wollongong to Greater Newcastle.

“As many might know, Greater Newcastle includes the region of Port Stephens, including Council waterways of North Arm Cove.

“For our association, it makes sense that planning of the whole of Port Stephens Bay be one, and that something that was meant to be ‘New York of Australia’ deserves to be included in this planning,” Mr Simovic said.

The association hopes to get support from the Tea Gardens/Hawks Nest community as they feel that a stronger community alliance will garner more acknowledgement from Council and state authorities.

“Local landowners contribute about $1.5 million in rates while most of them do not get any service.

“North Arm Cove (NAC) ratepayers constitute the third largest community in MicCoast Council (MCC) and about 5 percent of all ratepayers.

“No planning has been done for NAC in the past five decades and so now we are proposing that our project becomes a State Significant Project with the Minister and Department of Planning as consent authorities,” Mr Simovic said.

For anyone interested in hearing about the association’s plans, visit the North Arm Cove Initiative website: https://northarmcove.org.au/index.html

By Tara CAMPBELL