It is your Lee Point

Written on 27 June 2020.

There is now a Save Lee Point Website. Please see here: https://saveleepoint.org.au/

You can sign the petition here: Save Lee Point Petition (actionnetwork.org)

It’s your Lee Point

This campaign is about having land at Lee Point rezoned to encourage the efficient use of land, infrastructure and services for Darwin residents.

The land at Lee Point zoned as Future Development is next to biologically rich Casuarina Coastal Reserve (CCR) encompassing vulnerable/endangered wildlife, plants, and has internationally significant shorebird sites. CCR has over 1M visits each year and is increasing. This valuable asset produces revenue from ecotourism and could be expanded.

Rezoning the Lee Point land to Conservation means future defence housing would need to be located elsewhere. If for instance, Australian Defence Force personnel were located at Northcrest they would be much closer to work, have more frequent public transport, and not be exposed to biting insects or sewage pond odours. Taxpayers would find this more affordable because a lot of the infrastructure and services are already set up.

It’s your Lee Point – it’s your choice.

TO BE UPDATED - DRAFT FOR DISCUSSION PURPOSES - 6 July 2020

Improving the cost benefit of future defence housing in Darwin

Preliminary Assessment

Note: this is a draft paper and subject to change. It has been released early to assist with the “It’s your Lee Point” awareness campaign.

6 July 2020

Prepared by Ian Redmond and Gayle Laidlaw

(Darwin residents since the 1980’s)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This preliminary assessment is in response to the proposed development of 800 houses (for 3000 people) by Defence Housing Australia (DHA) at Lee Point on lot 4873 and 9370. The assessment looks at the merits of locating future Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel at Northcrest (near Berrimah Farm) and future rezoning of lots 4873 and 9370.

The scope of this assessment is limited in that it only considers Northcrest as an alternative site for housing future ADF personnel, and does not evaluate headworks cost, list relevant services for either Northcrest or Lee Point, eg education, health, recreation, retail, entertainment, which affect lifestyle, or consider different growth scenarios. Further work would be needed to better understand the costs and social benefits prior to engaging with stakeholders for both sites.

However, preliminary findings from the assessment indicate that future ADF personnel would be better and more affordably housed at Northcrest due to its central location, closeness to the major defence sites.

Similarly, there would also appear to be significant benefits in revisiting the best use of the Lee Point land having regard to the changes that have occurred since the use of this land was last reviewed in 2005.

Rezoning of the Lee Point lots 4873 and 9370 to Conservation (or similar use) provides a potential opportunity to reduce development costs (for the taxpayer), grow ecotourism in Darwin, and significantly reduce the environmental impact that would have come from the DHA’s proposed Lee Point housing development.

Background

Lee Point has played a role in a number of important historic events, such as the bombing of Darwin, the defence of Australia during World War Two and the Indonesian confrontation of the early 1960s. A radar station was located on lot 4873 (see map at Attachment B) until the early 2000s. The land is no longer used for military purposes.

Defence Housing Australia (DHA) is proposing to build 800 houses (for 3000 people) at Lee Point, refer to Appendix (Ref 1). The houses are to be built on lot 4873, next to Casuarina Coastal Reserve (CCR), and lot 9370. Based on the Notice of Intent prepared for DHA in 2015, (Ref 2);

• Lot 4873, also called 2CRU (Lyons North) is owned by the Commonwealth, and
• Lot 9370, also called Muirhead North is owned by the NT Government.

Lee Point lots 4873 and 9370 were included in the NT Planning Scheme in 2015 (Ref 3). A development application for lot 4873 was lodged by DHA to the NT Government in November 2017. It is not known how many houses are to be reserved for ADF members.

DHA is wholly owned by the Australian Government. Its main function is providing housing and housing-related services to members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and their families. (Ref 4).

Northcrest (168 ha), refer map below, is owned by Halikos Group, a Territory owned and operated business. Halikos Group has planned for 2000 houses plus a commercial development at Northcrest. The first land release (114 lots) commenced in March 2017 (Ref 5) and about 100 lots have been sold (5% of planned housing lots).

Darwin’s major defence sites (Ref 6), shown here in grey, provides the work place for most ADF personnel.           

Sustainability

Sustainability is considered from three perspectives:

• Social;
• Environmental; and
• Economic

for the Lee Point Development (LP) and Northcrest Development with defence housing (NC).

SOCIAL

NC and LP are less than 10km away from a major shopping centre, school, medical centre, major sporting complexes, boat ramp, and nature reserve. However, NC offers a greater choice of services eg restaurants, shopping and entertainment due to its central location.

NC’s central location would make it easier for ADF personnel to:

• cycle to work (cycling to the major defence sites from NC was assessed as easy to moderate, and from LP as moderate to hard, refer Attachment A;
• use public transport (frequent – and more cost effective - bus services are already available); and
• visit the Darwin CBD and Palmerston CBD.

LP provides walking access to a beach in Casuarina Coastal Reserve (CCR). However, for LP; “The NT EPA identified a potential conflict of siting an urban development near an existing wastewater treatment facility, with potential for offensive odours to impact on future residents’ lifestyle and amenity. Similarly, potential health impacts to residents from proximity to breeding habitat for biting insects is also of concern.” (Ref 7, Sect Summary and Recommendations).

ENVIRONMENTAL

NC has minimal impact because the land was previously used for farming.

LP has a significant environmental impact. The inevitable introduction of more cats and dogs (predators) in the Lee Point region will threaten vulnerable or endangered wildlife species in the Lee Point area, such as migratory shorebirds, marine turtles, and Black Footed Tree Rat. Clearing of land will also threaten certain native endangered flora, and reduce wildlife numbers generally, refer Attachment B.

ECONOMIC

Economic sustainability relies somewhat on eliminating spending where it is not needed.

ABC News reported in February 2019 that Darwin ADF numbers had fallen by more than 25% since 2010 (Ref 8) and in March 2019 that Darwin’s 2018 population had declined by 0.2% (Ref 9). The issue of housing oversupply needs to be fully considered, particularly in light of the associated high cost of public infrastructure that is required for housing developments.

NC is partly developed with some headworks in place. It is expected to have lower costs (per lot) than LP due to its central location. However, these costs are largely unknown.

Attachment C lists potential costs and a possible use for the LP land (if it is rezoned).

Rezoning issues

Land Use Plans for any region are dynamic (not static), and should respond to changing circumstances: Darwin Regional Land Use Plan – Plan Purpose, 2015. (Ref 10)

Much has changed since the Lee Point Area Plan was incorporated into the NT Planning Scheme in 2015 (Ref 3). Darwin’s ADF personnel numbers have fallen significantly in the last ten years (Ref 6), and people are increasingly concerned about the environment, including the rate of greenhouse gas emissions and loss of biodiversity.

Risks of not rezoning the Lee Point land

CCR has internationally significant shorebird sites. The risk of not rezoning Lee Point is that CCR’s growing reputation could be diminished and residents find the Casuarina/Lee Point area less attractive to live in. Rezoning the Lee Point land supports the Australian Government’s Smart City Plan (ref 11, smart policy), and may lead to future funding opportunities with the Australian Government, refer to Attachment D.

Risks in rezoning the Lee Point land

The risk to the Australian Government of it not being able to use the Lee Point land (if it was rezoned and retitled), is non-existent because it has the power to override any Act of the Territory at any time. The loss of 800 house lots at Lee Point is not considered significant given the recent downturn in Darwin’s economy, and the potential to provide 2000 house lots at NC.

DHA has invested time and resources in planning a housing/commercial development at Lee Point which be lost if the land is rezoned.

Summary and Recommendations

Darwin needs long term jobs to sustain its population and improve its economy. The housing development at Northcrest (NC) appears to be more sustainable than at Lee Point lots 4873 and 9370 (LP) in all aspects; social, environmental and economic, due to its central location and closeness to the major defence sites. LP would be better rezoned to Conservation (or similar use) to promote ecotourism. However, these findings should be confirmed prior to engaging with stakeholders on the sites. The following work is recommended to confirm the findings:

1. Evaluate the cost of headworks (capital and recurrent) per lot at LP, NC and another site (if suitable). Indicative costs to meet the NT EPA Assessment Report 88 requirements at LP are to be included.
2. Assess the social benefits of living at LP, NC and another site (if suitable), from known services in the area, and list these services. Provide comment on what locations might best attract and retain ADF personnel.
3. Discuss various future growth scenarios for Darwin in relation to housing supply.
4. Comment on the environmental impact at LP versus NC, including greenhouse emissions.
   

ATTACHMENT A

Indicative travel times to Darwin’s major defence sites

The travel tables below were generated from Google Maps (Directions), and are provided here for strategic planning purposes only.

TRAVEL BY CAR

Notes:

1. Car travel times will vary according to traffic, ie. time of day and year.
2. Car travel from Lee Point to Darwin’s major defence sites ranges from;

In time: 15-22 min and is 6-10 min longer than from Northcrest.

In distance: 12.2 - 14.2km which is 3-9 km further in distance than from Northcrest.

TRAVEL BY BIKE

Notes:

1. Google Maps tends to select bike tracks which can increase distance compared to car travel.
2. Bike travel from Lee Point to Darwin’s major defence sites ranges from;

In time: 41-56 min and is 11-33 min longer than Northcrest

In distance: 12.8 - 18.6km and is 5-10 km further in distance than from Northcrest.

3. Cycle to Work website considers cycling difficulty; 0-8kms as easy, 10-16kms as moderate, 18-24kms as hard.

Findings

Car travel from Lee Point to the major defence sites is significantly longer in time (6-10mins) and longer in distance (3-9km) than from Northcrest. Cycling to the major defence sites from Northcrest is considered to be easy to moderate, and from Lee Point moderate to hard. It is likely that more ADF personnel would cycle to work if they lived at Northcrest.

ATTACHMENT B

Lee Point Development

Dashed line shows the area to be cleared for housing and commercial purposes within Lots 4873 & 9370, it does not show actual lot boundaries.  CCR is to west and north of this area.

Casuarina Coastal Reserve and protection of wildlife

The NT Government and City of Darwin has been running programs to protect wildlife from cats and dogs. With the proposed 800 houses (and more cats and dogs), protection of wildlife in CCR will become more difficult.

The Black Footed Tree Rat is classed as vulnerable in the NT and endangered nationally. Its numbers have fallen sharply in the NT since 2002 (Ref 12). Possible reasons for the decline include loss of suitable habitat and predation by feral cats. In 2017, it was photographed in Lot 9370 as part of the EIS process. The habitat shown on the left in the photo is considered to be good habitat for this species (Ref 13, Appendix M).

ATTACHMENT C

Headworks cost and future land development costs

The headworks cost at LP (for a population of 3000 people) could exceed $20M and needs to be better understood. Some headwork upgrades could have been carried out with the previous development of Lyons and Muirhead.

It’s likely that LP will require a new water storage facility, sewage pump stations, HV feeder, road and drainage works. In 2012, the City of Darwin estimated developer contribution cost for the roadworks from Muirhead to Lee Point would cost $4.1M. (Ref 14). There are possible upgrades to sewage treatment ponds and the electrical substation. The NT EPA (Ref 7, Recommendations) places stringent conditions on LP to reduce the significant environmental impact. It includes implementing a shorebird monitoring program, protecting marine turtles, stormwater discharge to tidal areas, cautionary notes to property buyers about biting insects, plus other requirements. This will increase costs at LP. There is increased car and public bus travel costs at LP compared to NC. None of these costs have been evaluated, nor has the greenhouse gas emissions (from increased car travel).

The headworks cost at NC (for a population of 7000) needs to be better understood. Some headworks have been carried out for NC as part of the first stage. It is likely that NC will have lower headworks cost per lot than LP due to its central location.

Ecotourism at Lee Point (to be updated)

One of the fastest‐growing tourism sectors is ecotourism (Ref 15). Casuarina Coastal Reserve (CCR) has over 1M visits a year and this number is increasing. A possible use for the Lee Point land (next to CCR) is ecotourism. It could involve walks showing wild food plants, aspects of aboriginal culture, bike trails, and defence history. While the area has some attractive woodland and a small rainforest, parts of it will need to be cleaned up (rubbish removed) and revegetated.

Larrakia Nation are the traditional owners of Lee Point. Section still to be drafted?????

Mountain bikers regularly use the LP area, and Darwin Off Road Cyclists (DORC) are already promoting mountain bike riding at Lee Point. There is currently a concept for a coastal trail (walking/cycling) from the CBD to Lee Point. The coastal trail, some of it already constructed, would pass by areas of interest such as the East Point Military museum. Lot 4873 could provide another “area of interest” on the coastal trail. Accommodation is available at the nearby Lee Point Village Resort.

For defence history, it would mean obtaining and displaying additional defence relics as many of the relics have been removed. Based on the NT EPA (Ref 7, Sect 5.1.2), lot 4873 contains the remains of a missile launching facility and explosives store, and remnants of anti-aircraft battery sites. Lot 9370 has the remains of a defensive gun pit.

ATTACHMENT D

Zoning of Lee Point land to attract investment (to be updated)

NT GOVERNMENT

In 2015, the NT Government released its Darwin Regional Land Use Plan (Ref 10) which included:

Key residential objectives:

• Integrate new and existing residential development to maintain character and create a cohesive society that meets the diverse needs and aspirations of all sectors of the community.
• Ensure sustainable development by encouraging:

○ the efficient use of land, water, energy and other resources

○ accessible and efficient public transport to reduce transport demands

○ cost effective provision and efficient utilisation of infrastructure and services

○ development that is consistent with the community’s economic, social, cultural and environmental values

○ the creation of character and identity

○ opportunities for community initiatives that support happier, healthier and inclusive communities

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT

In 2016, the Australian Government committed to the Smart Cities Plan (Ref 11). The Smart Cities Plan provides a platform for long term investment and coordinated planning to help Australian cities reach their full potential.

In essence, the NT key residential objectives (see above) are not inconsistent with the Australian Government’s Smart City Plan. Issues such as the efficient use of land, accessible and efficient public transport, cost effective provision and efficient utilisation of infrastructure and services are common to both.

ZONING OF LEE POINT LAND

Rezoning the Lee Point land to Conservation (or similar use) encourages housing development at NC, an action which promotes the efficient use of land, infrastructure and services, and in turn supports the Smart Cities Plan. Developing in accordance with the Smart City Plan may help obtain future Australian Government funding under the Smart City Plan: City Deals initiative.

The NT Government and Australian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding   in 2017 to work cooperatively together on City Deals. The first Darwin City deal was signed in 2018 and an implementation plan was produced on November 2019.

APPENDIX

Bibliography

Ref                                     Title

1. Defence Housing Australia website: https://www.dha.gov.au/development/residential/lee-point
2. EcOz Environmental Consultants: Lee Point Master-planned Urban Development: Notice of Intent, prepared for Defence Housing Australia, June 2015 https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/287602/noi_lee_point.pdf
3. NT Government: Planning Scheme Amendment No 369, Aug 2015: https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/205884/amendment-369.pdf
4. Australian Government Department of Finance: Defence Housing Australia: https://www.finance.gov.au/business/government-business-enterprises/defence-housing-australia-dha
5. Halikos website: https://northcrest.com.au/faqs/
6. NT Department of Treasury and Finance: NT Defence: https://nteconomy.nt.gov.au/industry-analysis/defence
7. NT EPA: Assessment Report 88, Oct 2018 – refer to NT EPA website: https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/593703/assessment_report_lee_point_urban_dev.PDF
8. ABC News, Feb 2019: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-17/defence-numbers-down-annually-since-2010-darwin/10794850
9. ABC News, March 2019: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-03-27/population-falls-in-darwin-northern-territory-abs-data/10946200
10. NT Government: Darwin Regional Land Use Plan, 2015https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/240247/darwin-regional-land-use-plan-2015.pdf
11. Australian Government: Smart Cities Plan https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/cities/smart-cities/plan/index.aspx
12. NT Government: Black Footed Tree Rat, 2012: https://nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0018/205515/black-footet-tree-rat.pdf
13. ECoZ Environmental Consultants: Black-footed Tree-rat Survey Report Lee Point Master-planned Urban Development EIS, June 2017: https://ntepa.nt.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/593687/supp_draft_eis_lee_point_urban_dev_appendixM_blackfooted_tree_rat_report.PDF 3
14. City of Darwin: Developer Contribution Plan for Roadwork, Lee Point Road - Vanderlin Drive to Lee Point Reserve, November 2012: https://www.darwin.nt.gov.au/sites/default/files/publications/attachments/lee_point_road_roadwork_developer_contribution_plan.pdf
15. Tracie McKinney: Ecotourism, November 2018: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781118584538.ieba0149