Full description
The Honeysuckle Development Corporation was constituted on 29 May 1992 under the Growth Centres (Honeysuckle Development Corporation) Order 1992 which was made under the Growth Centres (Development Corporations) Act 1974. (1)
The order set aside certain land in the Parish of Newcastle, County of Northumberland as a growth area, to be known as the Honeysuckle growth centre and constituted the Honeysuckle Development Corporation to promote, co-ordinate, manage and secure the orderly and economic development of the growth centre. (2)
Under the Growth Centres (Development Corporations) Act 1974 (Act No.49, 1974) the development corporation could discharge the following duties and functions:
(a) to submit to the Minister such proposals with respect to the development and use of land within the growth centre in respect of which it was constituted, or the planning of the development and use of that land, as it considers necessary or appropriate, including proposals for the development and use of land in conjunction with the provision of utility services and public transport facilities for or in connection with the growth centre
(b) to consider, and furnish reports to and advise and make recommendations to the Minister upon, any matter or proposal with respect to the promotion, co-ordination and management of the growth centre, or the development and use, or the planning of the development and use, of land within the growth centre, which may be referred to it by the Minister
(c) to carry out research into problems with respect to the promotion, co-ordination and management of the growth centre, or the development and use, or the planning of the development and use, of land within the growth centre, and prepare and issue memoranda, reports, bulletins, maps or plans relating thereto or any other material
(d) to assist councils, which the development corporation considers may be affected, with respect to matters concerning the promotion, co-ordination and management of the growth centre, or the development and use, or the planning of the development and use, of land within the growth centre
(e) to exercise and discharge such other powers, authorities, duties and functions as are conferred or imposed on it by or under this or any other Act, and
(f) to do such supplemental, incidental and consequential acts as may be necessary or expedient for the exercise or discharge of its responsibilities, powers, authorities, duties and functions. (3)
The Act also allowed the development corporation to: manage and survey land vested in it; demolish buildings within or adjoining the growth centre they possessed; locate or relocate utility services; set apart land as sites for building or works or religious, charitable or municipal purposes; subdivide the land; construct roads; erect, alter, repair and renovate buildings; and, improve the land so it would be fit to be used. (4)
The Honeysuckle Development Corporation's specific charter was to coordinate the redevelopment of surplus government railway and port related land along four kilometres of harbour front adjacent to Newcastle's central business district. The Corporation's key objectives were to: prepare and market the Honeysuckle site; provide new and improve old infrastructure to encourage private sector development on the Honeysuckle site; stimulate development in adjacent areas; ensure the community has access to the harbour foreshores; create publicly owned and accessible places on the Honeysuckle site and, make Newcastle's central business district an even more attractive place to live, work and visit. (5)
In 1992 the Scheme which outlined the mission, project philosophy, objectives, planning principles and steps to implement the Honeysuckle project were presented to the Minister. The 1992 concept masterplan reflected the State government's proposal at the time, that the rail line be closed between Newcastle and Civic stations. When the State government subsequently announced that the rail line would remain, the planning guidelines created for the city and the concept masterplan included the rail line between Newcastle and Civic stations. The project's southern boundary was an important transport corridor, with City Rail services to Newcastle, which the Premier announced would be retained. Hence the Corporation did not implement the removal of the railway line between Newcastle and Civic stations. (6)
The growth centre was expanded in 1994 to coincide with the boundaries of the Building Better Cities program. Its boundaries up until 2002 were: Selwyn Street, Tighes Hill in the north; Glebe Road, Hamilton in the south; Chatham Road, Broadmeadow in the west and; the coast in the east. In 2002 the Corporation acted as project manager for the Hunter International Sports Centre Trust's Site A development in the Sports Facilities Zone, hence the site was included in the Corporation's boundaries. (7)
On 18 January 2008 the boundaries of the growth centre were expanded under the Growth Centres (Hunter Development Corporation) Order 2008. The growth centre was to include land within the local government areas of Cessnock, Dungog, Gloucester, Great Lakes, Lake Macquarie, Maitland, Muswellbrook, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Singleton and Upper Hunter as at 1 January 2008. The Honeysuckle Development Corporation was renamed the Hunter Development Corporation and continued as the same legal entity as that constituted under the 1992 Order. (8)
From 1 July 2009 the group of staff employed in the Department of Planning to enable the Hunter Development Corporation to exercise its functions were removed and added to the Land and Property Management Authority. (9)
From 4 April 2011 when the Land and Property Management Authority was abolished, the Hunter Development Corporation became a branch of the Principal Department, the Department of Planning and Infrastructure. (10)
On 1 November 2018 the Hunter Development Corporation (HDC) and the Central Coast Regional Development Corporation (CCRDC) were amalgamated to form the Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation (HCCDC). (11) The Hunter Development Corporation was dissolved on 1 November 2018. (12)
Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette No.64, 29 May 1992, p.3613.
2. ibid.
3. Growth Centre (Development Corporations) Act 1974 (Act No.49, 1974) s.7.
4. ibid. s.8.
5. Draft appraisal report D07/19412 on Agency registration file AG/5380.
6. Honeysuckle Development Corporation website http://www.honeysuckle.net/pages/hda/about/legislation.php (cited 27 August 2007).
7. ibid.
8. NSW Government Gazette No.9, 18 January 2008, p.82.
9. Public Sector Employment and Management (Departmental Amalgamations) Order 2009 (2009 No 352) cls. 32(1), NSW Legislation Website, 27 July 2009.
10. Public Sector Employment and Management (Departments) Order 2011 (2011 No 184) cls. 13(2), NSW Legislation Website, 3 April 2011.
11. Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation, Annual Report, 2018-2019, p. 6.
12. Growth Centres (Development Corporations) Amendment (Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation) Order 2018 (2018 No 581), NSW Legislation Website, 12 October 2018; Growth Centres (Development Corporations) Act 1974, Sch. 1A, cl.3(2)(a).
13. Hunter and Central Coast Development Corporation, Annual Report, 2018-2019, p. 6.
14. Ibid., p. 8.
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