Located on Black Head Road, the 10ha ‘lifestyle’ site promises to offer affordable living primarily to the retired and elderly.

The development application (DA) has been lodged by Coastplan Group on behalf of Gateway Lifestyle, which has more than 50 sites along the East Coast, including four in the Mid Coast at Forster, Redhead, Manning Point and Old Bar.

It was standing room only on Tuesday, October 17  as residents filed into the Black Head Surf Life Saving Club concerned about the future of their small community.

More than 200 residents from Tallwoods, Hallidays Point, Red Head and Diamond Beach attended the Mid Coast Council community consultation meeting.

Leading up to the first ordinary council meeting in Taree on September 27 an unprecedented number of written submissions objecting to the proposal had been  sent to council.

Tallwoods resident, Sandii Chan said the community was concerned about the legality of the DA and believed it conflicted with existing residential development.

“The parcel of land concerned is currently zoned for 80 residential lots (R1),” she said.

“The community consultation session was structured in such a way as to hear formal presentations from the proponent and council.

“However there was no provision for residents to present.”

Instead, residents who wanted to question council were restricted to a maximum of two questions each and when time ran out un-asked questions were noted with council giving an undertaking to respond in writing by Monday, October 23.”

Mrs Chan said residents believed council staff downplayed their long list of concerns.

“Many residents were left feeling perplexed as to why their council appeared so keen to support such a development given the huge number of residents opposed to it. 

“The adjoining Tallwoods Estate is one of the most beautiful estates on the coast and it is shameful that council would consider destroying that amenity through a lack of vision for the area.”

Hallidays Point resident, Trevor Clarke believed council lacked vision for strategies, policies and control plans for the introduction of manufactured home estates on green field sites.

“Residents are not opposed to the development per se rather they are opposed to an ad hoc developer led development.”

“It would seem realistic to expect that these would be developed and implemented before our new council was called upon to approve or disapprove the proposal.”

Members of the community have called on council to deny the development proposal and engage with residents to develop a positive plan for the area.

This would include a plan for how low cost manufactured homes estates might feature in the landscape, Mrs Chan said.

All MidCoast Council residents are encouraged to attend a special meeting scheduled for 6pm, November 2 at the Forster council chambers.